Iraqi PM calls on Arab support for Palestine

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called on Arab states to deal with Palestine as a state, stressing that Iraq will continue to support the Palestinian people by all means. In a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Maliki said that "the Palestinian issue put the world's conscience in front of a real test," and congratulated his counterpart "for obtaining observer state status at the United Nations." Maliki stressed that "Palestinians should never let despair get through, as success is the ultimate result." He added that "Iraq will continue to support the Palestinian people in all fields." The Iraqi prime minister called all Arab countries to deal with Palestine as a state from now on, urging them to cooperate in supporting the new born state by eliminating Israeli sanctions imposed on it. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said that the step of going to the United Nations came after calculating all possible punitive measures by the Israeli entity. He also reviewed the stance of different countries during the vote on the membership of Palestine in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Fayyad thanked Iraq for its support, adding that "a call for a conference on Palestinian and Arab prisoners in Israeli jails at this particular time shows Iraq's great interest in the Palestinian cause." Salam Fayyad arrived in Baghdad on Monday as part of an official delegation to participate in the Palestinian and Arab prisoners in Israeli jails conference, to be held in the capital on Tuesday.