Ramallah, February 23 (QNA) - Former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei died on Wednesday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas mourned Ahmed Qurei and said that he dedicated his life to defending Palestine, its cause, its people, and its independent national decision.

Qurei was born in Abu Dis in 1937. He joined Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Fatah, in 1968. He founded the "SAMED" (Sons of Martyrs of Palestine) in Beirut during the early 70's and served as its director general until it stopped working in 2007-2008. He assumed the post of director general of the Department of Economic Affairs and Planning of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

He was also appointed Minister of Economy and Trade and Minister of Industry in the first Palestinian government in the period from 1994 to 1996. He was a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) representing the Jerusalem region in the first Palestinian legislative elections that took place in January 1996, and was elected president of the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1996.

Qurei served as the Palestinian prime minister from October 2003 until March 2006. (QNA)