Abbas calls for speeding up completion of Palestinian state constitution

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday called for speeding up the completion of the Palestinian state's constitution.

"The constitution of the state of Palestine has to be the modern constitution of the Palestinian people to meet their needs and preserve the rights and duties," Abbas told members in the committee of forming the Palestinian constitution.

Abbas met with the constitution committee members at his office in Ramallah, according to Wafa news agency.

They briefed Abbas on the results of their meetings held during the last two days.

Abbas stressed the possibility of benefiting from modern constitutions in developed countries to formulate the Palestinian constitution, according to Wafa.

The committee, headed by Salim Za'noon, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), or the parliament in exile, resumed its work on Saturday after a cessation of more than three years.

Za'noon said that the completion of the constitution is one of the benefits of the United Nations recognition of the State of Palestine at the end of 2012, adding that the committee is determined to complete its work.

Abbas appointed Za'noon in August 2011 as the chairman of the committee to draft a Palestinian constitution.