Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to meet Dutch King, PM

King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte will both have a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas this week. A Palestinian delegation, headed by President Abbas, will be visiting the Netherlands from Wednesday. The reason for the visit is the second Cooperation Forum between the Netherlands and Palestinian authorities. Prime Minister Rutte and his Palestinian counterpart Rami Hamdallah will be opening the Forum in The Hague on Thursday. This is a followup for the first bilateral Forum held in Bethlehem in 2013. Cooperation agreements will be signed during this Forum. During his visit, President Assad will have an audience with King Willem-Alexander at palace Noordeinde. He and Prime Minister Hamdallah will also be having lunch with Prime Minister Rutte, Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs and Minister Lilianne Ploumen of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. The Cooperation Forums were established in 2013 with the objective to strengthen and broaden the Netherlands' relations with the Palestinian Authority. This involves promoting mutual contacts and government, business and knowledge institution level. The forums provide opportunity for political consultation and for establishing new business and scientific contracts. A Forum with Israel was held in the same year with the same objection. The followup is expected in the second half of next year.