29/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering began a trip, which will last until Thursday, to the Middle East. In the West Bank on Monday, he met Dr Ziad Abu-Amr, president of the Palestinian Council on Foreign Relations (PCFR) and representatives of humanitarian aid organisations (UNRWA and OCHA). On Tuesday, he met Mr Khreishi, deputy leader of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and deputy president of the EuroMed Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA). At a bilateral meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, he was also due to discuss the development of the situation on the ground and prospects for peace. The same subjects were likely to be discussed at a meeting in the afternoon with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Mr Pöttering was also due to meet Sakharov Prize winner and peace activist Nurid Peled, representatives of Israel's Russian-speaking community and the Arab minority. On Wednesday, he will have discussions with the leader of the Knesset, who is currently interim president of the state of Israel, and, on Thursday, he will meet King Abdullah in Amman. (fb)