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BEIJING, Aug 14 (IslamOnline &AFP)-In his quest for international support for a Palestinian state, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat arrived in Beijing early Monday aiming to "inform the Chinese side of the latest developments in the [Middle East] peace process".
At the start of July, China said that it supported Palestinian statehood, reacting to a decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council to declare an independent state on September 13. "China supports the Palestinian people's effort to regain their legitimate national rights, including the right to go back to their homes and establish an independent state," a foreign ministry spokesperson said at the time. President Jiang said he was sorry the Camp David peace talks ended late last month with no results. "We hope Israel's government will implement the United Nations' decisions on the Mideast issue and the agreements already reached with Palestine and engage in an honest, practical dialogue with Palestine." He added that he hoped Arafat would pick an "appropriate" time to declare an independent state. "We believe that the Palestinian National Authority led by Arafat will think it over and declare statehood at an appropriate time to achieve the best possible results," said Jiang according to the Xinhua news agency. Jiang made the comment at the Beidaihe seaside resort 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Beijing, where Chinese leaders are currently meeting to decide on policies for the upcoming year. "China and its people will support whatever you decide, as long as it is in accordance with the Palestinian people's interests and will help the Palestinian people's just cause," said Jiang to Arafat. Arafat's spokesperson Nab Aburdene said he was very upbeat about the meeting. "It was a very important and very fruitful meeting," he said. "China, as always, supports the Palestinian cause and also the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people." Asked about Jiang's comment as to an "appropriate time" for the declaration of statehood, he said: "President Jiang said that China will support any Palestinian decision, and that it's up to the Palestinians to decide." China, which established diplomatic relations with Palestinian authorities in 1988, sees the statehood issue as the key hurdle to overcome before reaching a lasting peace in the Middle East. During a visit to the Palestinian territories in April, Jiang was urged to send a permanent ambassador to help push the peace process. While China was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestinian authority, its ties with Israel have improved in recent years, and Arafat's China visit comes just two days ahead of a visit by Shimon Peres, Israel's minister of regional cooperation. China had been on the verge of buying an Israeli Airborne Warning and Control System in a deal valued at $250 million, until Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak canceled it in mid-July. The United States had pressured Israel to scrap the deal because it was worried it might upset the military balance between China and Taiwan. Arafat is visiting China as part of an Asian tour that began Sunday with a brief stop in Pakistan where he met with military leader General Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, who received Arafat at the airport, said Islamabad backed the Palestinian cause. Arafat had already traveled to about 20 capitals in less than three weeks, seeking support for his position after the Camp David talks failed on July 25. Arafat is leaving China for Hanoi on Tuesday morning, a Palestinian diplomat in Beijing said. After there, he will visit Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and then Tokyo. |
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