SANAA, Yemen, May 1 (UPI) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh urged Palestinians to overcome their differences and deprive the Israeli enemy of any chance to stir trouble.
Saleh made the comment following talks Monday with the foreign minister of the Hamas-led government, Mahmoud Zahhar, who is on an Arab tour garnering political and financial support following the suspension of Western assistance to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas won general elections with a landslide in January.
Saleh called on the international community to respect the choice of the Palestinian people, who voted largely for the Islamic militant group at the expense of the moderate and corruption-stained Fatah movement.
He renewed Yemen's support for the Palestinians in their quest to fulfill their legitimate rights, especially the creation of a Palestinian independent state on national land with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Official sources said Zahhar briefed Saleh on the results of his tour of Arab countries.
"The talks focused on the developments in the occupied territories and the siege the Palestinians are suffering at the hand of Israel which resulted in food and medical shortages," the source said.
In a related development, Jordan's King Abdullah declared Monday that his country, in coordination with Egypt, will act with the international community to resume the peace process and build confidence between the Palestinians and Israel as a prelude to returning to the negotiating table.
A statement issued in Amman following talks between Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Abdullah rejects unilateral solutions, which he says will not lead to a comprehensive and lasting peace settlement in the region.
Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held a mini-summit in Aqaba over the weekend during which they expressed their wish to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, rejecting at the same time Olmert's plan for a unilateral solution.
