The secretary of the PLO Executive Committee, Mahmoud Abbas, on Sunday was scheduled to begin an official visit to the US aimed at presenting the Palestinian position on the Mitchell report, and discussing the Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative, said reports.
The visit is also aimed at discussing the possibility of inviting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to visit Washington, since the new American administration has still not extended such an invitation, reported the official Kuwait news agency (KUNA).
PLO’s representative in Washington, Hassan Abdel-Rahman, was quoted as telling Palestinian Radio that “contacts are currently underway to discuss the possibility of arranging a meeting between Abbas and US Secretary of State Colin Powell" either Monday or Tuesday.
Aabdel-Rahman said the US-Palestinian meeting would focus on ways of resuming the peace talks, according to KUNA.
Abbas is the first Palestinian official to visit the US since the Bush administration took over on January 20.
Israel will submit its response to the Mitchell report on Tuesday – Albawaba.com
