Palestinian PM due in Tehran next week

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya will visit Iran next week, Hamas movement announced in a statement. "From the 30th of this month, he will begin a tour to a number of countries, including Kuwait and Iran, as well as other nations," said a Hamas statement released late on Wednesday. In a separate statement, Hamas Spokesman Taher al-Nunu said Haniya "has received a message from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that included a formal invitation to visit Iran". Also, Haniya's Deputy and Hamas Foreign Minister Mohammed Awad told FNA earlier this week that Haniya received Ahmadinejad's invitation letter on Tuesday. He stressed the significance of Haniyeh's upcoming visit to Iran, and said Haniya will review many issues during the trip. As regards the details of Ahmadinejad's letter, Awad said that the Iranian president has also stressed the necessity for efforts to break the Gaza blockage and support the Palestinian nation. President Ahmadinejad also reiterated Iran's continued support for the oppressed Palestinian nation and confrontation with the Zionist regime's bullying behavior. Haniya's trip is likely to also include stops in Qatar and Bahrain. The trip will be Haniya's second since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after it won legislative elections. His first trip out of Gaza came in December, when he made stops in Egypt, Sudan, Turkey and Tunisia.