By NNN-KUNA
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called for lifting the Israeli siege on Gaza paving the way for basic commodities to enter that area.
Abbas, who spoke to reporters in Ranallah during a joint press conference with visiting Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, called for stopping the Israeli mass punishment of the Palestinian people.
He renewed the Palestinian Authority’s readiness to assume control of the Rafah border crossing into and out of Egypt and said “we have expressed readiness to assume such control.”
He slammed the attempts to storm the Rafah crossing and pointed out that this matter was “rejected because Egypt is a brotherly country and supports the Palestinian cause.
He called for keeping the borders with Egypt safe and sound.
He said his talks with Plassnik focused on bilateral matters and the situation in Gaza and ways open to resolve the problems there.
Meanwhile, Plassnik said her government supports Abbas’ administration and stressed the importance of finding a peace plan involving all warring factions.