From a Palestinian ministerial newspaper, Tuesday, 9 December 1997

Translation of the article "Doctor El Yaziji, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport, Meets the BikeAbout Team" is as follows:

Gaza: Dr. El Yaziji, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport received the BikeAbout team in a meeting that included several other ministry employees. He welcomed the team and wished them a good stay in Palestine. He explained to them many of the activities and actions in which the ministry is involved. He assured them that the ministry is working to create a stronger sense of Palestinian identity and to rebuild the Palestinian infrastructure that was destroyed during the Israeli occupation.

Dr. El Yaziji also talked about the agreements that the ministry has with many organizations in he Arab world. He emphasized that this was also the case with France. He referred to the real achievements that the ministry had accomplished in spite of the bad conditions and difficult circumstances. He underlined the authority of President Yasser Arafat as the strongest sponsor for youth empowerment and referred to his continuous support of the ministry. Ethan Gelber, of BikeAbout, thanked the Deputy Minister for his welcome and explained about the BikeAbout program. He expressed his real happiness at having reached Palestine, and thanked all those responsible for facilitating the team's mission.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. El Yaziji gave a gift to the group -- the embroidered motto of the ministry -- as remembrance. Photos were taken. The BikeAbout team is visiting under the auspices of the Minister of Youth and Sport and being hosted by Diwan el Shabab.