Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Wednesday urged all sides in the Middle East issue to keep on the track of peace and commitment to the two-state solution.

 

Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (R) meets with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in the West Bank city of Ramallah, April 22, 2009. [Hua Chunyu/Xinhua]

Yang, on his first official visit to the Palestinian territories, said during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the current situation on the Middle East issue is getting complicated, but it's important for all sides to keep on the track of peace, commit to the two-state solution, and fully implement the UN resolution 1860.

He called upon the international community to keep paying attention to the issue, keep coordinating and cooperating with each other, so as to provide the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and Palestinian economy with a strong support.

"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China, along with the international community, is ready to help the Palestinians to realize the goal of having their own country at an early date, and make unremitting efforts to push the Middle East peace process forward," Yang added.

Yang arrived at the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday afternoon, the second stop of his five-leg foreign trip after Egypt, which will also take him to Israel, Syria and Russia.

He told Abbas that in the past more than 20 years, China and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has maintained a good relationship.

China attaches great importance to the friendship between the two sides, and will continue to support the righteous cause of the Palestinians, as well as strengthen the cooperation and exchanges between the two sides at all levels, he added.

For his part, Abbas said China is a true friend of the Palestinians, and has been always supporting the righteous Palestinian cause on restoring their legal rights and provided unselfish aids for the social and economical developments for the Palestinian territories.

The PNA Chairman said the relationship between the two sides is on a good track, and he appreciated the constructive role China has played in the Middle East peace process, while pledged to work with China together to boost the peace process.

Yang also met with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Malki in the day. He is scheduled to meet with Israeli leaders on Thursday.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2009)