Abbas seeks Palestinian statehood 'as soon as possible'
02/03/2005 - 13:13:55Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the European Union today that he wants statehood “as soon as possible”.
Asked when the Palestinians might achieve their ambition, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said: “The sooner the better.”
Abbas was making his first visit to EU headquarters to drum up support for his reforms to prepare for statehood. “We will continue to work for this as soon as possible,” he said.
He flew to Brussels after attending an international conference in London, where he pledged to improve the Palestinian Authority’s security services – a key demand of Israel and world donors.
The EU has given millions of pounds to back the building of Palestinian government institutions.
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