Palestinian special envoy in Cuba to bolster ties

Sabri Saidam, special envoy of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was in Cuba to meet with top government officials, state daily Granma said on Wednesday.

Saidam took a message from Abbas to Cuba's President Raul Castro, the daily said.

Saidam, who is also a member of the Palestinian Central Committee of Fatah and Palestinian Minister of Education, met Tuesday night with Cuban First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel to express his country's appreciation for Cuba's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause in international forums.

Diaz-Canel ratified "Cuba's unconditional support for the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to constitute their state, with the pre-1967 borders, and capital in East Jerusalem," said the report.

The Cuban vice president also confirmed Havana's rejection of the U.S.' unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Saidam is taking part in the international congress University 2018, which is being hosted by Havana through Friday and attended by 2,500 academics and specialists from around 60 countries.