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Socialists Group in EP calls for stronger EU-Palestine ties

BRUSSELS, Jan 26 (KUNA) -- Husam Zomlot, personal representative of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, took part Tuesday in a conference in the European Parliament entitled 'The present and future of EU-Palestine relations - Supporting state- and capacity-building.' The European Socialists and Democrats (S&D) organised the event to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people by underlining the need for peace and stability to be restored in that turbulent region, supporting the two-state solution and calling for stronger EU-Palestine relations.
S&D Vice-president for foreign affairs Victor Boetinaru said "the presence of Husam Zomlot in the European Parliament demonstrates once again our group's commitment to further engagement with our sister parties in order to support the two-state solution.
"Working with Husam, we have to identify ways to help Palestinian national unity and Palestinian state-building," he said.
On his part, Richard Howitt, chair of the European Parliament's Middle East and North Africa working group and chair of the event, said "it is important at this very bleak moment, in relation to the Middle East peace process, that we avoid simply repeating well-known positions, but have a genuinely open discussion about any new ideas which could unlock the current impasse.
"The presence of President Abbas's personal representative enabled us to hear an account of what is happening on the ground now, and to hear and to be able to influence Palestinian thinking at the highest level," he added. (end) nk.bs