Palestinian Democratic Front convenes third conference

Chaired by Nayef Hawatmeh, the Democratic Front for Liberating Palestine on Thursday held a plenary session in Damascus in the presence of 200 representatives from the Palestinian territories and in exile.

The Front's spokesman, Ali Bedwan, said that several PLO leaders arrived in Damascus on Tuesday from the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem to take part in this meeting, the third such meeting since 1970. He said the meeting aims at drawing up a new political and organizational strategy, noting that the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine intends to "give up" the Israeli-Palestinian agreements and adopt a new negotiation formula based on international resolutions.

Bedwan said many Palestinians could not come because of security conditions in the Palestinian territories. Participants in the three-day meeting represent 20,000 Democratic Front members, who will elect members of the organization's central committee and its secretary general during the meeting.

The Democratic front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has Damascus as a headquarters was established in 1969.