Algeria reaffirms support for Palestinian cause

Algeria's Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa on Sunday reaffirmed his country's support for the Palestinian cause.

"Algeria has reaffirmed its firm position regarding the Palestinian cause," Ould Khelifa said after meeting with visiting Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

Ould Khelifa hailed "the achievements carried out recently by the Palestinian diplomacy, notably the recognition by several European parliaments of the Palestinian State and the raising of the Palestinian flag at the United Nations."

Ould Khelifa also called for the end of the internal Palestinian division between Abbas' Fatah Party and the Islamic Hamas movement.

For his part, Hamdallah hailed Algeria's continuing support for Palestine both politically and financially.

He said that "Palestine's independence is a historical inevitability," adding that "the formation of a national unity government before proceeding to the next election will hasten an end to the current state of division, and therefore would enable Palestinians to retrieve the right to establish an independent state."

Hamdallah is paying a three-day visit to Algeria, which according to him will focus on reinforcing political consultations and economic ties between Palestine and Algeria.

The Palestinian prime minister also held talks with his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmalek Sellal, on Sunday.

Hamdallah's visit to Algeria follows that of Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Executive Committee and head of the Negotiation Affairs Department at the Palestinian Liberation Organization, to the North African country in January. Endi