Abbas, Monti agree to form joint committee

President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday reached an agreement with the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti, to form a joint Palestinian-Italian committee headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Abbas expressed Palestinians’ appreciation over Italy’s support, concerning the Palestinian cause, through bilateral relations, direct support or through the European Union. He said, “We conducted talks regarding several issues that matters to both sides, especially the difficulties facing the peace process due to the Israeli ongoing settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.” Abbas affirmed that the Palestinian bid to the United Nations doesn’t aim to isolate Israel; It only aspires to end the occupation and achieve two-state solution. President Abbas and Monti discussed the issue of the prisoners, who were detained before 1994, in Israeli prisons, as well as they discussed the efforts being made to achieve reconciliation. Monti said that both Palestine and Italy have a historical and long relationship reflected through Italy’s solidarity with the Palestinian people. He affirmed his country’s support of the two-state solution to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and establish a Palestinian state on 1967 borders. Monti invited Abbas to continue bilateral talks in Italy, commending Abbas’ efforts to achieve a Palestinian state.