Pakistani president greets Saudi king on Palestinian accord

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has telephoned Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, congratulating him on the success of his efforts to promote reconciliation between Palestine's Fatah and Hamas, a Foreign Ministry statement said on Saturday.

The document was signed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, late Thursday by the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and the ruling Hamas.

Musharraf expressed the hope that Mecca Accord would serve as a first vital step to improve the security and humanitarian situation in Palestine and for the resolution of the Palestinian issue, the statement said.

He said that the Accord demonstrated the respect and esteem in which King Abdullah was held in the Muslim world.

The two leaders also discussed further steps for effectively launching the proposed joint initiative by a group of like-minded Muslim countries to address the situation in the Middle East, in particular the Palestine issue, and to bring harmony in the Muslim world, according to the statement.

Source: Xinhua