Palestinian-U.S. committees to start meeting

A number of U.S.-Palestinian committees met in Ramallah on Wednesday to discuss means to boost cooperation in various domains, and to speed up payment of promised U.S. aid to the Palestinian people.

The trade committee chaired by Palestinian official for trade affairs, Maher Al-Masri, will discuss ways to reactivate a free trade agreement with the United States, stipulating the exemption of Palestinian exports to the U.S. from custom tariffs.

Palestinian Radio said the legal committee, chaired by Palestinian official for justice Freih Bou Middein, will focus on a Palestinian request to abrogate all U.S. laws banning deals with the Palestinian liberation Organization.

In recent statements Bou Middein expressed hope the U.S. will take "a serious initiative" to pave the way for better bilateral ties.

Exchanging expertise and legal procedures related to the combat of drugs, crimes and money counterfeiting will be also discussed by the legal committee.

The scientific exchange and scholarship committee, chaired by the Palestinian official for higher education, Munzir Salah, will debate the financing of a scholarship program.

The meeting will prepare for the higher committee meeting due to be co-chaired by the Secretary General of the PLO executive committee Mahmoud Abbas and the U.S. assistant under secretary for Middle East affairs Martin Indyk next July.

The higher committee held its first meeting in Washington last April.