Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will start his state visit to South Africa from Thursday and will hold talks with his counterpart Thabo Mbeki in Cape Town, the South African Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Abbas's 3-day visit "comes within the context of South Africa's priority to promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and post- conflict reconstruction and development in the Middle East, through .. continued dialogue with both the Israelis and Palestinians," said a statement issued by the ministry.

The talks between Mbeki and Abbas, scheduled on Friday, are expected to focus on bilateral relations and the current situation in between Israel and Palestine following elections in Palestine in January and Israel this month, it said.

They will also discuss the political and socio-economic conditions in both the Middle East and southern African regions, according to the ministry.

Abbas is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on former president Nelson Mandela, address the National Assembly, and hold discussions with the leaders of various political parties, and the Muslim and Jewish communities in South Africa.

Source: Xinhua