On anniversary, Abbas hails creation of PLO

"(Ahmad) Shuqeiri was asked to figure out what the Palestinians wanted, and he returned with the convention for the PLO," Abbas said at a meeting to mark the 49th anniversary of the PLO's founding.
 
"We should remind ourselves that this is the most important and significant event in the history of the Palestinian people," the president added.
 
"Before the PLO we had no political presence but after its creation we did."
 
The president also expressed his condolences to the family of Fatah leader Abdul Aziz Shahin, who died in Gaza on Tuesday.