LAHORE., May 14: President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmuod Abbass is to make a stopover in Islamabad on May 19 on his return from Beijing. According to diplomatic circles he will meet President, General Pervez Musharraf during his brief stay in Pakistan.

His obvious agenda is to gather support, from both Beijing and Islamabad, for the Authority’s efforts to implement its part of the bargain for the US-backed roadmap between Israel and Palestinians and ensure that the Sharm al-Shaikh agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is sustained and leads to establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The agreement is, however, proving a on-sided affair because, while the PA is bending its back to stick to it, reciprocity from Tel Aviv has not been anywhere in sight. If anything, provocative steps by Israel have intensified in response to the PA efforts to control retaliation by the Palestinians.