Nigerian president on a visit to Ramallah

President Mahmoud Abbas met Tuesday with his Nigerian counterpart Goodluck Jonathan, who arrived in Ramallah for an official visit. Speaking a press conference with his Nigerian counterpart, Viola Onwuliri, Foreign Minister Riyad Malki congratulated Nigeria for winning the post of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the next two years. Malki said the Palestinian Authority was committed to negotiations with Israel in spite of the many obstacles Israel places in their way through settlement construction and incursions into West Bank areas. Onwuliri said Jonathan and Abbas discussed bilateral relations and other regional and international issues. She said the two leaders agreed to strengthen relations between their countries. She said her country supports the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which she stressed should conclude with the two-state solution.