Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive in Cairo on Friday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Egypt’s president-elect, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, on Sunday, MENA reported.
The former defence minister and military chief won Egypt`s presidential elections last week with over 90 percent of the vote.
During his visit, Abbas is expected to meet with Arab League chief, Nabil Al-Arabi, and Egypt`s foreign minister, Nabil Fahmi.
The Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riyad Al-Malki, said that Abbas' visit to Egypt clashed with a visit to the Vatican, but that the president had insisted on attending the event in Cairo.
President Abbas swore in a Palestinian unity government on 2 June under a reconciliation deal with Hamas Islamists that led Israel to freeze US-brokered peace talks with the Western-backed leader.
Abbas, who heads the mainstream Fatah movement, has said the 17-member cabinet would be comprised of unaffiliated ministers and that it would strive to pursue peace, despite Hamas's refusal to accept co-existence with Israel.
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