Abbas Appreciates HH the Qatar Emir's Initiative to Set Up A Special Fund for Al Quds

Doha, March 26 (QNA) -Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has described as fantastic and wonderful, the call of HH the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, of the 24th arab summit now in session in Doha, Qatar, for the establishment of a fund in support of Al Quds (Jerusalem)with a capital of one Billion Dollars. The Palestinian president expressed deep thanks and appreciation to the call of HH the emir. Abbas also expressed in a statement to reporters following the opening session of the 24th arab summit deep thanks to Qatar's contribution of a quarter of a billion dollars to the aforesaid fund and appealed to the other arab countries to pay the remaining of the amounts they pledged to. Such a magnificent inititive on part of HH the Emir of Qatar , we wish the others to respond to it and help establishing such a fund. In his address before the 24th arab summit , HH the Emir of Qatar said, " I call upon your esteemed summit, if we are serious in defending the Arab character of Jerusalem and in order to save what could be saved for the establishment of a fund in support of Jerusalem with a capital of one billion dollars, provided that it is to be implemented immediately after the conclusion of this summit". "I declare on behalf of the State of Qatar our contribution of a quarter of a billion dollars to the fund. The remaining sum is to be contributed by capable Arab countries, and I suggest that the Islamic Bank for Development manages this fund". "I also wish to refer in this respect to the blockade, which the Gaza Strip suffers from and to stress the need for cooperation and work to enable our brothers there to overcome it and to activate all decisions on the reconstruction of the Strip", said HH the Emir. Qatar has already pledged $500 million to the Gaza Strip, a similar amount to the sum pledged by the US to the Palestinian Authority. The Arab League is expected to pledge between $500 million and $1 billion to Palestine.(QNA)