A revival of the relations between Bulgaria and the Palestinian Autonomous Authority was marked by a three-day official visit by the Palestinian Minister for Planning and International Cooperation, Nabil Sha'ath, last Thursday. The guest arrived at the invitation of his Bulgarian colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs Solomon Passi.

Sha'ath held talks with Passi, President Petar Stoyanov and National Assembly Speaker Ognian Gerdjikov, and brought greetings from Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat.

The visit marked a renewal of Bulgarian-Palestinian diplomatic, economic and cultural ties, which had been dropped for the past 12 years. At the start of its mandate, the current government promised to resume Bulgaria's relations with the Arab world and started fulfilling this promise by inviting Jordan's king Abdullah II in August.

Bulgaria and Palestine have been related since 1973, when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was acknowledged as a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people by the General Assembly of the UN, recalled Sha'ath. Hundreds of Palestinians have graduated from Bulgarian institutions of higher education and there are many mixed marriages, he said. Passi and Sha'ath described their meeting as "throwing up new bridges by Bulgaria and opening up doors to the whole Arab world."

A central theme of the talks that Sha'ath held in Bulgaria were the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and the global coalition against terrorism. "We condemn what happened in New York," the Palestinian minister said. "We do not want the drama of Palestinian people who suffered so much to become a pretext for destruction," he added, commenting on the idea that Osama bin Laden relates his cause to the fate of Palestine.

The guest met Stoyanov and Gerdjikov on Friday. Sha'ath said that solving the Middle East problem was crucial for building a more peaceful, just and safe world, and added that Bulgaria could assist the ending of the long-lasting conflict. Stoyanov said that Bulgaria wanted to see the UN resolutions implemented, and peace in Palestine.

Sha'ath and Bulgarian Minister of Regional Development Kostadin Paskalev discussed opportunities for commercial exchange. Later, Gerdjikov said he was satisfied that the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce concluded an agreement.