Palestinian PM discusses institution support with French envoy
Mustafa urged more international pressure to end the Gaza war and settler attacks, and called for conditions to hold upcoming elections.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa discussed ways to strengthen Palestinian state institutions with France's special envoy on Tuesday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Mustafa met Andre Parant, the French special envoy for the consolidation of the State of Palestine, at his office in Ramallah.
The two sides reviewed the latest developments in the Palestinian territory and international efforts to support Palestinian institutions and build their capacities.
Mustafa stressed the need to keep working through the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and the New York Declaration to turn international commitments into practical steps toward an independent Palestinian state.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Mustafa briefed the envoy on progress in the institutional reform and development programme and on the achievements made so far.
The statement added that the government is working to complete the programme by the end of this year.
Mustafa called for more international pressure to end what he described as the Israeli genocidal war in the Gaza Strip and to halt occupation measures and settler attacks in the West Bank.
He also urged international partners to create the political and field conditions needed for upcoming legislative and presidential elections, with Palestinians able to take part in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Parant said France remains committed to supporting the State of Palestine and empowering its institutions.
He pointed to ongoing follow-up on the correspondence between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as political understandings on the two-state solution, recognition of Palestine, reform and elections.
Parant also praised the Palestinian government's efforts to advance institutional reform despite the difficult circumstances it faces.
Finance and Planning Minister Estephan Salameh, Deputy Foreign Minister Omar Awadallah and Ambassador Izzat Abel Hadi, adviser to the prime minister for international relations, attended the meeting.
The Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution grew out of a United Nations conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and it brings together countries seeking a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
