ARCHBISHOP TAURAN RECEIVES PALESTINIAN MINISTER OF COOPERATION

VATICAN CITY, AUG 9, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today, Fr. Ciro Benedettini C.P., vice-director of the Holy See Press Office, made the following declaration:

"Today, Wednesday August 9, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States, received Nabil Shaath, minister for international cooperation of the Palestinian National Authority, who has come to inform the Vatican on the Palestinian evaluation of the recent negotiations at Camp David, as well as on the future of the Middle East peace process.

"The visitor gave a detailed description of the positive aspects of the dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis as well as of the obstacles that prevented the meeting reaching a successful conclusion.

"For his part, Archbishop Tauran confirmed the Holy See's support for the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. Furthermore, he reaffirmed the importance that the Apostolic See attaches to the Holy Sites of the three great religions in the Holy Land, sites of which the international community should in all circumstances guarantee the unique and sacred nature, as is laid down in the preface of the Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the PLO, signed on February 15 2000"

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