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Saudi monarch discusses Palestinian issues with Abbas | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A photograph supplied by the Palestinian Authority on 07 August 2013 shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meeting with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 6, 2013. EPA/THAER GHANAIM


A photograph supplied by the Palestinian Authority on 07 August 2013 shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meeting with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 6, 2013. EPA/THAER GHANAIM

A photograph supplied by the Palestinian Authority on 07 August 2013 shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meeting with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 6, 2013. EPA/THAER GHANAIM

Mecca, Asharq Al-Awsat—Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday. The meeting was held at the Al-Safa Palace in Mecca and discussed developments in the Palestinian issue.

The meeting followed an iftar banquet at the end of the fasting, held in honor of the Palestinian president and his delegation. Abbas thanked King Abdullah for his efforts and the welcome afforded to the his delegation in Mecca.

The meeting was attended by a number of dignitaries, including adviser of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince Abdul-Ilah Bin Abdulaziz and Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz, second deputy prime minister and special envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and a Palestinian delegation which included chief negotiator Saeb Erekat.

President Abbas and his delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier on Tuesday and were received at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport by emir of the Mecca region, Prince Khalid Bin Abdulaziz.

Meanwhile, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has appointed a new deputy defense minister. King Abdullah Bin Abdilaziz issued a decree on Tuesday relieving Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah Al Sa’ud from his duties as deputy defense minister and appointing Prince Salman Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz as the new deputy defense minister.

Prince Salman was relieved of his position as assistant secretary general of the National Security Council for security and intelligence affairs to take up the new position.