Bethlehem – Ma’an – The EU’s top foreign policy official, Javier Solana, praised the Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces during a visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday.

“When the Palestinians take control over difficult issues like security they do a very good job,” said the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy during a news conference at the headquarters of EUPOL COPPS, the EU’s police-training mission.

“Am very happy that everybody recognizes the efforts by the Palestinian security forces to guarantee security in the territories that the Palestinians control,” Solana said, according to a statement. “I hear this from the Palestinian people, from the Israeli leaders and today I even read it in the press.”

“We are proud if we contribute to that and I hope that we have contributed to that but the important thing is the Palestinians,” he said, referring to EUPOL COPPS.

While in Ramllah, Solana had a bilateral meeting with EUPOL COPPS, Chief Constable Paul Kernaghan, and the head of the now-dormant EU assistance mission to Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Alain Faugueras.

Earlier Solana meet with President Mahmoud Abbas and caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.