Palestinian President Leaves Bahrain

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas left Manama on Wednesday following a two-day official visit that came as part of his tour of Arab countries.
He was bid farewell by Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak al Khalifa, ministers, senior military officers, the Muharraq governor and Palestinian ambassador to Bahrain.
During his visit, Abbas held talks with the kingdom's leadership on bilateral ties, the latest developments in Palestine and Arab and international issues of mutual concern.
At a press conference, the Palestinian president hailed the fruitful results of his talks with King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa that tackled the Palestinian issue, results of the Annapolis conference and the Paris conference and the political process and current negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. the talks also covered the internal Palestinian situation and ties with Hamas.
Abbas said that he also reviewed the economic and security situation in the Palestinian territories besides covering Arab affairs and the expectations from the next Arab summit.
He thanked the king, government and the people of Bahrain for their constant support to the Palestinian people.
Abbas also affirmed the strong historical ties linking Bahrain with the Palestinian cause, underlining that Bahrain had supported the issue from the beginning.
Regarding the economic situation in the Palestinian territories, Abbas said he had presented an economic plan at the Paris conference attended by 90 countries and said that on its basis funds were offered to support the Palestinian authority for three years.
He said that discussions were now being held with the countries concerned on how to distribute these funds, set up projects and boost the Palestinian national authority budget. He added that talking with Hamas locally or internationally was not important, adding that what was most significant was to talk with the leadership and try to obtain positive results that satisfy the Palestinian people. Referring to the Israeli escalation of activities, Abbas said Israel had always sought escalation for building settlements or to ignore its commitments.
Abbas said under a new policy every official or leading figure in the Palestinian national authority will be tried for any corruption.