Wasel Abu Yousef

Wasel Abu Yousef Ramallah – Sona al-Deak A member of the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), Wasel Abu Yousef has told Arabstoday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will soon meet with the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement in Cairo, as elections in Egypt have ended and been crowned by the victory of Mohammed Morsi. Yousef said the Palestinian leadership congratulated the new Egyptian president and the Egyptian people once the result was announced, considering the elections a democratic festival. "I hope that what bad been agreed on for the [Palestinian political] reconciliation file will be implemented, especially after Morsi’s win," he said. In related developments, Yousef revealed that the US administration and other states requested the Palestinian leadership two weeks ago to freeze its efforts in the UN until the US presidential election was over. "The US discussed ways to reactivate political dialogue in case talks with Israel fail," he said. Yousef said that Palestine was still campaigning for the UN to issue a resolution that recognises 1967 borders for the establishment of the Palestinian state. He added that the Palestinian leadership was discussing the issue with a number of Arab countries and France, along with a meeting between President Abbas and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.