RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas' senior aide Tayyeb Abdul-Rahim on Wednesday met Egypt's intelligence chief Raafat Shehata to discuss relations.

Abdul-Rahim, Abbas' secretary-general, thanked the newly-appointed Shehata for Egypt's official and popular support for Palestinians and their struggle for statehood, and the Egyptian government's efforts to release Palestinians detained in Israeli jails, a statement from his office said.