Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud ‘Abbas is arriving in India on Thursday as part of his whirlwind tour of Asia.
‘Abbas will be in India for two days where he will meet with India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and other cabinet ministers to discuss the situation in the Middle East as well as trade and cultural relations.
Trade deals between Palestinians and India exist chiefly in computer services and telecommunications. In 2001, trade between India and the Palestinian Authority was estimated at $20 million.
The Palestinians want India to use its global power in the international community to pressure Israel into leaving what the Palestinians see as occupied territories.
Israel is an important arms supplier to India and the two countries maintain diplomatic relations.
The Palestinian representative to India Usama Mousa said Palestinians are not against India’s relationship with Israel and that India is in a position where it can persuade Israel to abide by international resolutions, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.
After India, ‘Abbas might continue to Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. But a spokesman at the Palestinian Information Ministry told The Media Line that this leg of the trip is “still undecided.”