Abbas Accepts Invitation to Visit Iran for Conference
President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted an invitation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement at the end of August, said his foreign minister, Riad Malki.
The trip "reflects our appreciation of this movement, which always supported the Palestinian position and the Palestinian cause," Malki said. "We cannot be absent from the summit of the non-aligned countries."
Malki's comments suggested that Abbas' planned visit to Iran is not signaling a more amicable tone in diplomatic relations, The Associated Press reported.
Iran and the Palestinian Authority do not share close relations and Abbas has previously spoken out against Iran’s backing of Hamas, which threatens his own control in the “West Bank.”
Abbas relayed his acceptance of the Iranian invitation in a meeting with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Jordan on Sunday,
Abdollahian said Tehran wants the two rival Palestinian factions to reconcile to bolster "Palestinian steadfastness and reach common ground on resistance in the face of threats by the Zionist entity." He added, "We also support Hamas."