China hopes to see an independent state of Palestine coexisting
peacefully with Israel, said special envoy the Middle East Wang
Shijie in Beijing on Wednesday. Wang returned from a week-long
visit to the region—his fourth--earlier this month.
Wang said that China and the leaders of Palestine, Jordan and
Syria, whom he met during his trip, agreed on many issues.
China has always supported the just cause of the Arab and
Palestinian people and Palestine's legitimate rights, including
setting up an independent state and the principle of land-for-peace
and negotiation for peaceful solutions.
Currently, there are no specific new proposals or initiatives
from China on Middle East issues "because the position of the
Chinese side is clear-cut and it remains unchanged." But, Wang
added, "Maybe in the future at a convenient time, we will put forth
some proposals."
Palestine, Jordan and Syria agreed that the Middle East peace
process has come to an impasse and the conditions and livelihood of
the Palestinian people are deteriorating. The three parties urged
the international community to put more effort into helping to
prevent the occurrence of larger-scale conflicts. They also
expressed their readiness to work on peaceful solutions as their
strategic options and carry out peaceful negotiations with Israel
to seek a final resolution of Middle East issues.
Palestine has shown its concern over the unilateral pullout plan
proposed by the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Wang.
While the Palestinians welcome the pullout, they said that Sharon's
unilateral plan was in effect a deviation from the road map to
peace.
Jordan has shown great concern over Israel's building of a
barrier, as the wall may result in a new wave of Palestinian
refugees.
Syria voiced its strong opposition to the sanctions imposed by
the United States. The country also expressed willingness to resume
talks with Israel and pick up negotiations where they left off.
China's position is that the Middle East peace process cannot
move forward without Syria's participation.
(China Daily June 17, 2004)
