Palestinian leader meets Omani envoy in Ramallah

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday met with an envoy dispatched by Sultan Qaboos of Oman in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The visit by Salim bin Habib al-Amiri came two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a rare visit to Oman on Friday.

During the meeting, al-Amiri delivered a message from the Omani ruler to the Palestinian leader, according to the official Wafa news agency.

No information was available about the content of the message, but Wafa said Sultan Qaboos thanked Abbas for his recent visit to the Gulf country earlier this month.

Abbas praised Omani support for the Palestinians and underlined his keenness to promote coordination between the two sides, Wafa said.

Netanyahu’s visit to Oman was the second by an Israeli prime minister, the first having been made in 1994 by late Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin.

In 1995, then Prime Minister Shimon Peres hosted Omani Foreign Minister Yousef bin Alawi in Jerusalem.

Although Israel and Oman do not have diplomatic relations, the two countries agreed in 1996 to open commercial representation offices. Muscat, however, suspended relations again following the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000.