CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the launch of the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday. Diab Al-Louh, Palestine Ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative to the Arab League, said that Abbas held a “special session of talks” with President El-Sisi on the sidelines of the forum. The pair discussed Palestinian issues, efforts to advance the peace process and end the Israeli occupation, and steps by Egypt to repair sections of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian president was accompanied by Fatah Central Committee member and head of the General Authority for Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh; head of the General Intelligence Service, Maj. Gen. Majed Faraj; the Palestinian chief justice; Mahmoud Al-Habbash, presidential adviser for religious affairs and Islamic relations; and diplomatic affairs adviser Majdi Khaldi. The two sides also held a meeting by telephone several days ago, and a Palestinian-Egyptian-Jordanian meeting was held in Cairo at the end of last month, with senior political and security officials discussing ways to launch a Palestinian-Israeli political track under international auspices. The World Youth Forum is an annual global event held in Sharm El-Sheikh under the patronage of El-Sisi. It aims to gather influential youth from around the world to promote dialogue and understanding.