President Abbas meets with Colombian President in New York

NEW YORK: President Mahmoud Abbas met today with President of Colombia Gustavo Petro Urrego, on the sidelines of his participation in the meetings of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York. During the meeting, President Abbas thanked his Colombian counterpart for his country's supportive stances for the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people in all international forums and pressuring the Israeli government to end the war of extermination it is committing against our people. He affirmed that this reflects Colombia's respect for the principles of international law and the importance of preserving the rights of peoples to self-determination without exception. The President briefed his Colombian counterpart on the efforts made by the Palestinian leadership to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip, and the entry of aid to all parts of the Strip, in addition to Palestine's ongoing to work to obtain full membership in the United Nations. He stressed the need to mobilize efforts to support the Palestinian cause in all international forums, especially the United Nations, to implement the UN General Assembly's resolution to end the occupation and embody the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. President Abbas affirmed Palestine's commitment to developing Palestinian-Colombian relations in various fields, appreciating Colombia's vote in favour of the Palestinian draft resolution in the United Nations General Assembly calling for an end to the Israeli occupation. For his part, the Colombian President thanked President Abbas for recently awarding him the "Grand Medal" of the State of Palestine, stressing his attachment to Palestine and his conviction in the justice of its cause. He affirmed that |his voice will remain loud calling for justice and freedom for the Palestinian people.' President Abbas arrived in New York on Friday evening to participate in the meetings of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He is scheduled to deliver Palestine's speech before the General Assembly on Thursday, September 26. Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA