Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will pay a working visit to Slovenia on Thursday, his first visit to the former Yugoslav republic, Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk's office said on Wednesday.
Abbas and Tuerk will discuss the progress in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and touch on the relations between Palestine authorities and the European Union, said the president's office in a statement.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the EU's financial aid to Palestinians, the EU's mission in the Palestinian territories and the bloc's other activities in the Middle East, said the statement.
Talks on bilateral cooperation will focus on economy, parliamentary cooperation and education, with emphasis on the recently established Euro-Mediterranean University, which will be based in Slovenia.
Abbas visits Ljubljana in the time when the situation in the Middle East is very tense, although the Israelis and Palestinians have been making efforts in the recent months, primarily under the pressure from the United States, to overcome the differences and settle the long-running dispute.
The Israeli and Palestine authorities agreed last November at an international conference in Annapolis, U.S., to launch a peace process. The conference discussed key issues of the dispute -- borders, the status of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees -- with the goal that a peace treaty be concluded by the end of 2008.
During his visit, Abbas will also be received by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.
Rupel met Abbas as well as other Palestinian officials in Marchas part of his tour of the Middle East as the head of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council.
Source:Xinhua
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