Palestinian president Abbas visits Kurdistan

Monday, 13 April, 2009 , 11:04

ARBIL, Iraq, April 13, 2009 (AFP) — Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Monday visited Kurdistan in northern Iraq, an official from the autonomous region's presidential office told AFP.

Abbas arrived around 1 pm (1000 GMT) and was greeted by Massud Barzani, president of the Kurdish regional government, the official said.

The trip came one week after Abbas held talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, in Baghdad, in what was the first visit to Iraq by a Palestinian leader since the 2003-US led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.