Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is to hold talks with Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel in Vienna on Thursday, a Palestinian diplomat told AFP.
In a previously unscheduled visit, Arafat and Schuessel are to meet in the afternoon and will discuss the current situation in the Middle East, the diplomat said.
According to the APA news agency, the meeting will take place at 5:30 pm (1630 GMT). Schuessel's office was not immediately available to confirm the trip.
The Palestinian diplomat, asked why Arafat was coming to Vienna, referred to the historically strong relations between Austria and the Palestinian people, dating back to Socialist Chancellor Bruno Kreisky in the 1970s.
"We have old and deep relations," he said.
Details of Arafat's arrival time were not yet known, but Arafat could remain in Vienna until Friday, he added – VIENNA (AFP)
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