Zuma Pledges South Africa’s Friendship to Palestine’s Abbas

Prtoria, 17 Sya’ban 1437/26 May 2016 (MINA) – Ties between the South African government and Palestine have been strengthened following a meeting by President Jacob Zuma and his counterpart‚ Mahmoud Abbas.

Zuma hosted Abbas at Tuynhuys in Cape Town to strengthen socio-political ties as well as trade and economic relations between South Africa and Palestine.

The two leaders held bilateral talks on a broad range of issues including the current initiatives aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestine stand-off‚ in particular the postponed Paris Middle East Conference‚ also known as the French Initiative‚ which was initially scheduled for 30th May 2016‚ the Presidency said in statement. on Wednesday.

President Abbas also briefed President Zuma on efforts at Intra-Palestine reconciliation and progress towards elections and the formation of a government of national unity, timeslive.co.za. was quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“We are very pleased that we have hosted His Excellency President Abbas again. The visit today enabled us to further gain a better understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and also to probe‚ to get more details of the French Initiative as a mechanism to resolve the long-standing Middle East impasse as well as to hear whether there was any role that South Africa could play as proposed today by President Abbas‚” said Zuma said.

Abbas’s visit to South Africa comes just weeks after the City of Johannesburg donated a statue of former president Nelson Mandela to the City of Ramallah in Palestine. This led to the city naming the spot where Mandela’s statue has been place Mandela Square.

Welcoming Abbas‚ Zuma said: “It is my great pleasure to welcome you again to our shores and South Africa will continue to be a liberated zone and a friend of the Palestinian people. We also send our country’s good wishes ahead of the crucial meeting initially scheduled for 30th May‚ which has now been re-scheduled.”

The Working Visit took place at a time of escalating frustration among Palestinians due to lack of visible progress in the Middle East Peace Process.

President Abbas has visited South Africa twice before over the past two years. He undertook a State Visit to South Africa in November 2014 and also attended the African Union Summit in June 2015 in Sandton.

South Africa and Palestine enjoy cordial relations that date back to the days of the Anti-Apartheid struggle. South Africa recognised the State of Palestine in 1995 and was among the more than 200 states that voted for the hoisting of the Palestinian National flag at the UN Headquarters. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)