Abbas holds talks with Saudi king (AFP)
8 minutes ago
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas met Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday during a brief visit to Saudi Arabia, the official SPA news agency reported.
It gave few details of their talks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, saying only that they focused on "latest developments pertaining to the Palestinian issue" and cooperation between the Saudi and Palestinian sides.
Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina, earlier told AFP in the West Bank town of Ramallah that the discussions with King Abdullah would cover "the situation in the region and Saudi Arabia's political and financial support for the Palestinian Authority."
Saudi Arabia brokered an agreement between Abbas's secular Fatah party and the Islamist movement Hamas in February 2007 which led to the formation of a short-lived unity government.
Tensions between the two sides led to fierce fighting which resulted in Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in June last year, the dismissal of the Hamas-led unity government and the formation of a Western-backed cabinet in the West Bank.
State-owned Egyptian media said on Tuesday that Egypt will begin a series of talks with the rival Palestinian factions next week with the aim of eventually hosting an intra-Palestinian meeting.
Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi King Abdullah (R) during a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the Red Sea port of Jeddah in June 2008. Abbas met Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday during a brief visit to Saudi Arabia, the official SPA news agency reported.(AFP/SPA/File)" class="newsimage" />