UN official, Palestine govt. mins meet

A United Nations envoy has met with ministers of the new Palestinian unity government in the occupied Gaza Strip as the first senior international official.

According to Press TV, on Sunday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry met with four ministers of the new unity government — Haifa al-Agha, the minister of women’s affairs, Mamoun Abu Shahla, the minister of labor, Mufeed al-Hasayneh, the minister of public works and housing, and Salim al-Saqqa, the minister of justice.

The UN official said following the meeting “I congratulated the Ministers on their appointment and discussed with them the many practical challenges ahead,” assuring the Gaza-based ministers that the international body is ready to increase its operations in Gaza, with water and energy being a priority.

Serry added “Gazans must, as soon as possible, feel the dividends of unity. Open crossings both for goods and people, access to construction material, re-establishing trade links between the West Bank and Gaza and exports are urgently needed to kickstart the economy and create job opportunities.”

In April, Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas signed an agreement to end years of rivalry and form a unity government.