Abbas reaches Beijing
By Sun Shangwuand Jiang Zhuqing (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-05-18 06:11

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao will hold talks with visiting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan yesterday in Beijing.

Abbas is expected to brief Chinese leaders on the latest development of the Middle East situation as well as the policies to be taken by Palestine in the future, according to Kong.

The two sides will also discuss how to strengthen their mutually-beneficial co-operation in various sectors, said Kong.

Leaders will sign some agreements after their talks, including the agreement on economic and technological co-operation, he added.

Abbas arrived in Beijing yesterday for a three-day state visit to China. It is Abbas' first China trip since he succeeded the late Yasser Arafat to be the president of the Palestinian National Authority following Arafat's death in November last year. He was elected Palestinian president in January.

Abbas visited China after his trip to Japan and is also due to meet US President George W. Bush on May 26 in Washington.

Abbas said in a press conference in Beijing that China has always maintained a just position in supporting Palestine's liberation cause, and has never ignored the Palestinians' fight for their liberation.

He noted that the economic and political relations between China and Palestine have been excellent, with no conflicts between them.

He added that curren-tly, the biggest obstacle in implementing the Road Map peace initiative in the Middle East is Israel.

In a recent written interview with Xinhua before he starts a three-day visit to China, Abbas called upon Beijing to play a bigger role in the Middle East peace process.

Abbas voiced his expectation that China, as one of the five countries in the UN Security Council with a veto right, can play a bigger role in achieving peace and security in the volatile Middle East region.

(China Daily 05/18/2005 page2)

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