Palestinian PM meets German FM

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met here on Sunday with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his accompanying delegation. Palestine's Ma'an news agency reported that Fayyad briefed Westerwelle on the economic situation in the West Bank and ongoing Israeli violations of the Palestinian people's rights, above all in Area C and East Jerusalem. He also told the German Minister about the financial crisis that sharply hindered the Plestinian Authority's (PA) ability to meet its financial obligations, including the public sector salaries. Fayyad appealed to donor countries to fulfill their financial obligations to the PA in order to pay the salaries of civil servants and to cope with the current financial crisis. The German Foreign Minister applauded the achievements of the PA in "laying the foundation for building an independent, self-reliable Palestinian state" and reiterated his country's support for the two-state solution with East Jerusalem as its capital.