RAMALLAH, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye headed a high-level Palestinian delegation of ministers and businessmen to Iraq on Monday to discuss oil import with Iraqi officials, a Palestinian official said.
"The history between Palestine and Iraq allows new horizons of joint cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the government's strategic vision of gradual disengagement from Israel, especially in the economic side," the Palestinian government spokesman, Ibrahim Melhem, told the official Voice of Palestine radio.
He said the visit is important because of its timing and the importance of Iraq, which has positions towards the U.S "Deal of the Century" and did not participate in the Bahrain workshop held by the U.S. administration last month.
"The import of Iraqi oil is one of the most important items on the agenda of the visit," Melhem said.
He mentioned the Palestinian side will begin "breaking the economic relations with Israel," through purchasing oil Arab countries like Iraq and Jordan.
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been informed during his recent visit that Iraq is ready to provide oil to the Palestinian side, while Jordan can help solve the problem of refining oil, Melhem said.
A week ago, Ishtaye visited Jordan, and met with his Jordanian counterpart Omar Razzaz. The two sides signed three memorandums of understanding and agreements in health, energy and transport fields.
The Palestinian government described the visit as successful and effective, saying it aimed to "implement the start of the gradual disengagement from Israel and deepen relations with the Arab countries."
