Despite Mr. Dane is not even a year in office, he got the opportunity to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) for bilateral talks. The meeting, which lasted 20 minutes, took place at the Muqata’a, the political nerve centre of the Palestinians. The chief of staff of the President’s office, Ziyyad Abu Ammar, was also present during the meeting.

Mr. Dane informed Mr. Abbas about the mandate of KAS in the Palestinian Territories and the contribution of every single partner of KAS Ramallah to this mandate. They also discussed the recent developments in the domestic policy of Germany. In the last years a lot of changes happened in this field.

Following, President Abbas talked about his recent visits to Berlin and Washington and the meetings with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Barack Obama. He was grateful for the political and financial contributions of Germany to the Palestinian people and expressed his desire to strengthen the nexus between his office and KAS Ramallah. In addition, he made a similar offer towards the partners of KAS Ramallah. He highlighted his deep commitment to a lasting peace with Israel. He also emphasized the reform initiatives of recent years and their successes including measures to improve the security situation and to underpin the Palestinian economy so that the investment climate can advance.

Mr. Dane agreed that change is palpable. The improvement of the security situation and the increased freedom of movement are noticeable to anybody who is working on the ground. KAS Ramallah is accompanying this ambitious reform process for example through the support of the Palestinian Business Law Guide. This will certainly contribute to the economic development of the Palestinian Territories by providing a practical tool to local and foreign investors starting business in the region.

Afterwards, President Abbas informed Mr. Dane and Mrs. Saffarini about the recently commenced proximity talks between Palestinians and Israelis. In order to round up the picture, a meeting with Amb. Majdi Khaldi – Foreign Policy Advisor to the President – took place. The focus of this discussion was the establishment of a systematic relationship between the offices.

Both sides agreed that there is a mutual interest in cooperating with each other and that this partnership could benefit the Palestinian cause.