(December 10, 2010) Talks between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organisation
(PLO) resumed on Thursday at the headquarters of Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas,
in Ramallah, in the Palestinian Territories, following the Basic Agreement signed
between the two sides in 2000. A joint-declaration released by the Vatican Press
Office said the talks aimed at a comprehensive international agreement regulating
and promoting the presence and activities of the Catholic Church in the Palestinian
Territories, thus strengthening the special relations between the Holy See and the
PLO. Thursday’s talks were co-chaired by Msgr. Ettore Balestrero, Vatican’s under-secretary
for Relations with States, and Ziad Al-Bandak, President Abbas’ advisor for Christian
relations. The cordial talks agreed on establishing a working group to elaborate
the comprehensive agreement. Way back in Oct. 1995, the Vatican established "permanent
and official" relations with the PLO, though not at the level of embassy. In February
2000, a month before Pope John Paul’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the PLO signed
an agreement with the Vatican to protect freedom of religion and the legal status
of Christian churches in the Palestinain territories and in a future Palestinian state.