ISLAMABAD,  February 12, 2010 (WAFA)-  President Mahmoud Abbas, paid Friday an official visit to Pakistan, where he and his delegation were extended a warm welcome consistent with the fraternal cordial relations between the people of Pakistan and Palestine.

 During his stay in Islamabad, The Pakistani Office of the Spokesman said in a joint Statement,  the President of the State of Palestine held separate meetings with the President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. They exchanged views on the prevailing situation in the Middle East, regional and international issues, and matters of bilateral interest. The President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan reaffirmed the steadfast support of Pakistan to the just cause of the Palestinian people.

 President Abbas conveyed gratitude to the leadership and people of Pakistan for their principled position on the issue of Palestine and for their unwavering support to the Palestinian people in their struggle for the realization of their inalienable national rights and for the establishment of an independent state of their own, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.