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22:57 GMT
RAMALLAH, April 17 (KUNA) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and opening of all border crossings to step up the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Strip.
"The relief and humanitarian efforts and the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip will remain confined and limited without an immediate ceasefire and the opening of all crossings with the Strip," Mustafa said during a meeting with the visiting British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron in Ramallah.
"Alongside the relief efforts we seek to restore and provide basic services to our people in the Gaza Strip, and we will continue to strengthen work with international institutions and partners, particularly the United Nations, to alleviate their suffering," he added.
Mustafa, also minister of foreign affairs and expatriates, urged effective international action to stop the aggression of the occupation's army and colonists in the occupied West Bank and the continued settlement expansion in violation of international law, which he slammed as an obstacle to peace and the achievement of the two-state solution.
The Prime Minister reviewed the difficult financial situation as a result of Israel's illegal deductions and withholding of the Palestinian clearance funds which rendered the government unable to fulfill its obligations, calling on Britain and the international community to pressure Israel to stop these actions and release the withheld Palestinian funds.
He briefed the British Secretary Cameron on the government's plans for comprehensive institutional reform in all sectors, including empowering the judiciary and strengthening its independence, combating corruption, rationalizing expenditures and upgrading services provided to citizens.
Regarding Palestine's bid for full membership at the United Nations, Mustafa said the Palestinian Authority would continue efforts to get full membership at the United Nations
"We will continue working on mutual bilateral recognition with the world's countries on the path to achieving our goals of getting rid of the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state," he affirmed. (end)
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