By IANS
Abu Dhabi : United Arab Emirates (UAE) has urged the international community to give new impetus to the Middle East peace process for bringing an end to the sufferings of the Palestinian people.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed met visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas here Sunday and reviewed the latest developments in the region, the Emirates news agency WAM said.
Zayed reiterated the UAE's firm stance in support of the Palestinian National Authority and called on the Palestinians to rally together, unite and patch up their differences in pursuit of their "cause".
He urged the international community to activate the peace process on the basis of the Arab peace plan that would "lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital".
The Arab peace plan proposes recognition of Israel by Arab nations in return for Israeli withdrawal from the lands it occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. The plan also allows for the creation of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian President expressed gratitude to the UAE for its constant support.
Abbas is visiting the UAE ahead of a meeting of the Middle East quartet of mediators (Russia, the US, the European Union and the United Nations) scheduled on July 16.