President Mahmud Abbas met with the Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Barbara Leaf at the presidency headquarters in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on June 11, 2022, provided by the Palestinian Authority's press office. THAER GHANAIM PPO AFP RAMALLAH Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with visiting US senior diplomats on Saturday ahead of an expected visit by US President Joe Biden in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
During the meeting, Abbas urged the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr to remove the Palestine Liberation Organization from the list of terrorist groups and reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem.
Abbas said that the PLO is a full peace partner and has signed a series of peace agreements with Israel, sponsored by the US, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Abbas also urged the US side to work on reopening the PLO's closed offices in Washington, noting that the PLO is committed to the peace process and stopping all unilateral actions. According to WAFA, Leaf reiterated that the United States is committed to the two-state solution, and the mission of her delegation is to prepare for the visit of President Joe Biden, who wants to meet Abbas. She said Biden would talk with Abbas about strengthening the Palestinian-American partnership and relations, as well as finding ways to stop the escalation in the region and move to the political horizon.
The US administration is determined to create an appropriate environment for the Palestinians and to give hope to the Palestinians and all peoples of the region, according to WAFA.
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