Shaath visits Washington on April 21; 15 Palestinians wounded in protests against the wall
Palestine-USA, Politics, 4/8/2004

A Palestinian official said that the foreign affairs minister Nabil Shaath will visit the USA on April 21st to meet with officials in the American administration, while 15 Palestinians were wounded during acts of protests against building the seperation apartheid wall in a town near Jerusalem.

One official at Shaath office said that the Palestinian minister will pay " an important visit to the USA on April 21st and will meet during this visit officials in the American administration." He explained that this visit falls in the course of "current consultations in order to rescue the peace process." Worthy mentioning that the American President George W. Bush will receive the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon on April 14.

On the other hand, the minister of negotiations affairs in the Palestinian authority Saeb Oreikat considered that the participation of the Palestinian groups including the Hamas movement in the Palestinian authority "is an Palestinian internal matter." Commenting on the US warning to the Palestinian authority over including Hamas, Oreikat said that the "national dialogue between the Palestinian groups should be based on supreme national interests." He continued " It is an internal Palestinian matter." Oreikat indicated that the dialogue and Participation in the Palestinian leadership is based on "political pluralism rather than the multi authorities principle." He expressed his hope that this dialogue will be crowned in a draft agreement taking into account international changes.

However, the US Department Of State had warned the Palestinian authority on Tuesday from including Hamas in its political commissions, considering that it is necessary to "rule out a terrorist organization" and not including it.

Meantime, witnesses said that 15 Palestinians were wounded during demonstration against building the wall in Bado village to the north west of Jerusalem.

The Israeli soldiers used bullets and tear gas in challenging the demonstrators who tried to prevent the occupation bulldozers from uprooting olive trees from their lands in preparations to install the wall.

On the other hand, a Palestinian medical source said that one Palestinian wounded in confrontations with the occupation army in Balata camp in Nablus died on Wednesday. The source and witnesses said that Ibrahim Abu Sreis ( 16 year old) was strongly wounded in a mortar explosion he was about to throw at the Israeli soldiers.

Moreover, two Palestinians were injured by the occupation bullets during confrontations in the old town in Nablus.

Previous Stories:
  Okaz: Fattouh criticized the Greater Middle East initiative   (3/15/2004)
  Palestinian liberation front accuses US of assassinating Abu al-Abbas; calls for international investigation   (3/11/2004)
  American Bishop deplores the Israeli wall of separation   (2/25/2004)

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