President Abbas meets Arab and foreign officials on the United Nations General Assembly

President Mahmoud Abbas held meetings on Monday with several Arab and foreign officials on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings in New York.

The President met separately with the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Morocco, Luxemburg and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

In his meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabbah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabbah, the President briefed him on the latest political developments in Palestine, particularly with the deadlock in the peace process as a result of the American decisions that destroyed the peace process and the continuation of Israeli aggression and settlements, as well as its racist Nation-State law.

President Abbas stressed the important role Kuwait plays in supporting the Palestinian cause in international forums and the UN Security Council.

The Kuwaiti foreign minister emphasized his country’s firm support for the Palestinian cause and people to achieve its goal in freedom and independence.

He said that the issue of the United Nations Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, was discussed and Kuwait gives special attention to it, explaining that it is the responsibility of the international community that created the refugee problem to bear all its consequences.

In his meeting with the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the President briefed him on the latest political developments and the American and Israeli measures that have sabotaged the peace process.

Bourita reiterated his country’s support for the Palestinian cause and people in their effort to achieve independence and freedom.

The President also briefed the Foreign Minister of Luxemburg Jean Asselborn on the latest Palestinian developments, discussing Europe’s role in ending the deadlock in the peace process caused by the American and Israeli measures on the ground.

Asselborn said at the meeting that Europe supports the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as capital of the two states, Palestine and Israel.

He said that the US pressure is only on the Palestinians while Israel is free to do whatever it thinks is in its best interest, “be it settlement policy, be it Jerusalem, be it Gaza, UNRWA crisis.”

He described as 'horrible” all the pressure the Palestinians have to bear as a result of this policy, stressing that Luxemburg supports the intervention of the international community to bring a solution because “at the end of the day, Israel will not live in peace if the Palestinians have no state.”

President Abbas had earlier met with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and briefed her as well on the latest developments regarding the Palestinian cause, particularly his call to hold an international peace conference with a multilateral mechanism to reach peace.

The UNGA opens on Tuesday its 73rd session and President Abbas is expected to address it on Thursday.