CAIRO: Amr Moussa, former secretary-general of the Arab League and presidential nominee, is still a central and influential figure during Arab officials' visits to Cairo. Arab leaders and officials are keen to listen to Moussa's opinions on the latest developments in the region because of his political and diplomatic experience. The Palestinian Authority always asks for Moussa's opinions on certain issues, a Palestinian source told Youm7. Nmr Hammad, a Palestinian presidential advisor, listened to Moussa's opinions regarding the Palestinian delegation's visit to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September. Moussa advised Hammad to visit the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) vote on the recognition of a Palestinian State, particularly since this issue will aggrieve the UNSC if a veto is used, stopping the recognition. This would further harm the UNSC as it earlier failed to convince Israel to continue two-state negotiations with Palestinian officials. Hammad articulated Moussa's opinion to Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. Hammad said Abbas will attend not only the UNGA session, but also the UNSC. Moussa discussed potential relations with both North and South Sudan with Hassan el-Turabi, of Sudan's Popular Conference Party. Moussa highlighted the significance of complementary relations between the two sides, and the necessity of easing tensions in Darfur.
