RAMALLAH, February 19, 2012 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Sunday received the representative of Sri Lanka, Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa, in Ramallah, and informed him of the recent developments in the peace process.

Abbas also noted the current crisis in the peace process due to the Israeli refusal to recognize the 1967 borders of the Palestinian state and to stop settlement activities.

Rajapaksa conveyed a letter to Abbas from the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in which he stressed the depth of the bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Palestine, as well as emphasized his country’s support to the Palestinians’ position aiming to achieve their rights guaranteed by the international law.

Moreover, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met the Sri Lankan representative and informed him of the Palestinian government’s efforts to overcome the acute financial crisis, stressing that the donor countries should uphold their financial obligation towards the Palestinian Authority.

Fayyad also informed Rajapaksa of Israel’s persistence to carry on with its settlements de facto policy in the Palestinian Territory, particularly in and around East Jerusalem; as well as informed him of the Israeli violations against Palestinians, which include house demolitions and undermining PA’s efforts to provide basic services to Palestinians in area C.

R.Q./F.R.