Hatoyama, Abbas agree on need to resume Middle East peace process

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TOKYO, Feb. 8 Kyodo -
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
agreed Monday on the need to resume the Middle East peace process between
Israel and the Palestinians, which has been stalled for more than a year, as
soon as possible.
During their 40-minute talks at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Hatoyama
reaffirmed Japan's support for efforts by Abbas to seek a two-state solution
through negotiations, according to a joint press release.
''I have placed great importance on President Abbas' role in promoting the
peace process and expressed Japan's support for his peace efforts,'' Hatoyama
told a joint news conference after the summit.
While calling on the Palestinians to continue halting violence against Israel,
the Japanese leader also urged Israel to freeze all settlement activities to
achieve peace in the region.
Abbas expressed his appreciation for Tokyo's support for his efforts and
stressed the importance of resuming negotiations with Israel based on an agreed
road map on the process, he told the news conference.
The president also repeated his demand that Israel stop settlement-building in
occupied land, while claiming that the Palestinians will continue to stop all
acts of violence against the Israelis, the statement said.
''Japan strongly hopes that the Palestinians and Israel will resume
negotiations soon and it is hoped they will coordinate with the United States
and others at the same time,'' Hatoyama said.
On the Japanese-Palestinian relationship, Hatoyama said he repeated Tokyo's
readiness to support the construction of an independent Palestinian state,
noting that he and Abbas agreed that the two sides will hold a high-level
consultative meeting to that end.
Hatoyama also reiterated Japan's continued economic assistance to the
Palestinians through an initiative called the ''Corridor for Peace and
Prosperity'' for an agro-industrial park in Jericho, which aims to develop the
Jordan Valley through cooperation between the parties concerned in the region.
Abbas proposed developing the West Bank along the Dead Sea into a tourist area
during the summit meeting, Hatoyama said, adding that Japan will consider this
proposal in a forward-looking manner.
Abbas thanked Japan for its political and financial support over the years,
telling the news conference that Japan's aid to the Palestinians since 1993,
which has totaled more than $1 billion, ''has helped alleviate the sufferings
of the Palestinian people a great deal.''
On his visit to Hiroshima on Sunday following his arrival in Japan, the
Palestinian leader said it ''has renewed my resolve to seek a solution to (a
conflict) through peaceful means and eliminate nuclear weapons.''
The peace process has been stalled since Israel launched a large-scale
offensive on the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008. Abbas has said he would not
return to the negotiating table unless Israel's settlement-building is halted.
Abbas, who is on a four-day visit to Japan as part of his Asian tour, visited
Hiroshima, which suffered the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing, for the first time. He
last visited Japan in May 2005.
He is scheduled to hold talks with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and the heads
of both houses of parliament on Tuesday before heading for South Korea on
Wednesday.
His tenure as president of the Palestinian Authority expired Jan. 25 but has
been extended because a division among the Palestinians made it impossible to
hold elections on time.
==Kyodo