Palestinian President to address EU council

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to deliver a speech to the European Union’s 28 foreign ministers meeting in the Belgian capital Brussels after meeting with the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
Palestinian ambassador to the European Union, Abdul Rahim Farra, told the official Voice of Palestine radio on Monday that Abbas will brief the EU Foreign Affairs Council on the situation in the Palestinian territories and the impact of the US decision recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Abbas will also urge them to recognize the State of Palestine, according to the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA).

Farra said the meeting with the European foreign ministers will be open and lengthy and will include discussions and questions to President Abbas regarding the Palestinian issue.

He said that the potential signing of a full partnership agreement between Palestine and the EU will have strong political implication and would represent an implicit recognition by the European Union of the Palestinian state.

Abbas is also scheduled to meet with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel to thank him for the additional financial support by Brussels for the budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after the US had slashed more than $100 million in aid to the humanitarian organization, including $45 million in food aid.

Belgium said it will support UNRWA with an additional $29 million to help it overcome the US cut, which came to pressure the Palestinian Authority to return to negotiations with Israel.

On the possible recognition of the State of Palestine by a number of European countries, Farra said that the Slovenian government has submitted a draft resolution to its parliament to recognize Palestine and that the resolution is expected to be ratified later this month, WAFA reported.

Source: BNA