Abbas meets EC President

President Mahmoud Abbas has said that a key component of peace and stability in the Middle East was an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Such a scenario requires a deal between the two sides, and after that ties between Israel and the rest of the Arab and Islamic world, Abbas was quoted as saying by Palestinian Authority media. At a joint news conference with the president of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels here last night, Abbas said " We raised the Palestinian flag at UNESCO , and I hope in the future we will raise it at the UN." Standing alongside Herman Van Rompuy, the EC president, Abbas said he hoped Palestine''s admission to the UN would come as the result of active support from the European Union, Wafa news agency reported. "We appreciate this long term support, and hope it will continue until the completion of the construction of the Palestinian institutions, in preparation for the declaration of the Palestinian state," he added. On the topic of internal politics, Abbas said, "We are very interested in reaching a Palestinian reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization to bring back national unity." Abbas further said he remains firm - he would return to negotiations only if Israel stops its settlement expansion in the West Bank. Rompuy, meanwhile, said "I emphasize that the European Union remains committed to the two-state solution ... We will continue to expect that any future Palestinian government adhere to the principles to which Abbas has committed." President Abbas "informed me of the current developments in the Palestinian request for membership in the United Nations," Rompuy added hoping the Arab spring would "have a positive effect on the Middle East peace process." Today, we had a fruitful meeting. We discussed the cooperation between the EU and the Palestinian Authority. I congratulated President Abbas for the successful institution- and state- building efforts of the Palestinian Authority. The EU has been instrumental in this process. The EU, the main donor of the Palestinian people, remains committed to further strengthening relations and continuing its financial support to the Palestinians. We discussed the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo in May this year.