The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine.

The Secretary-General and President Abbas agreed on the importance of moving the Middle East Peace Process forward and underlined their shared commitment to the two-state solution as the only viable option to sustainable peace.

The Secretary-General expressed his concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the funding shortfall of the UNRWA (Âé¶¹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) programmes.? He stressed the importance of continued humanitarian and development assistance to the Palestinian people from the international community.