Abbas to begin European tour to rally against settlements

Palestine - Independent Maghreb Press Agency - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was set Sunday to begin a European tour, with the aim of garnering support to step up international pressure on Israel to stop settlement activity, Palestinian media reported.

He was scheduled to meet Sunday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, before traveling to Germany where he is expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to the reports. His trip is set to end in Russia, where he will hold a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday, the PA's official news agency Wafa reported.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials said that the United States was pressuring Abbas to continue Israeli-Palestinian talks in Amman, even if there is no breakthrough by end of the month, Arabic daily al-Hayat reported.