PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi met with Norwegian Representative Hilde Haraldstad at the PLO Headquarters in Ramallah.

Both parties affirmed the special relationship between Palestine and Norway, and Ashrawi expressed her appreciation to the Norwegian government for its continued economic cooperation program, consistent backing of Palestine at the United Nations and its firm commitment to supporting the two-state solution and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.  In that context, she urged Norway to recognize the state of Palestine in the immediate future.

Ashrawi provided an assessment of the critical conditions on the ground and Israel’s destructive policies of collective punishment and violence and its persistent violations of international law and conventions.

The discussion also focused on the latest political and regional developments, the International Peace Conference in Paris, the need for a vigorous European role and effective engagement to hold Israel accountable and to contribute effectively to a just peace, and the prospects for reconciliation and elections in Palestine, as well as bilateral relations and future cooperation between Palestine and Norway.

Source :PNN