Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday during talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Japan supports the peace negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians and is willing to extend utmost assistance in the process.
Regarding the agreement reached by Israel and the Palestinians last November in Annapolis, Maryland on sealing a peace treaty by the end of 2008, Fukuda said his government highly appraises efforts made by both sides and would like to have their future negotiations held in Japan if necessary.
During the talks held at the Japanese prime minister's official residence in the evening, Fukuda also expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip and called on the Israeli side to do its best to prevent the situation from going worse.
Olmert for his part said Israel will not stop the peace negotiation although it is under severe missile threat from the Gaza strip, according to a press release issued by the Japanese foreign ministry.
The two prime ministers agreed to cooperate on the "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" initiative for fruits in an early date.
The initiative was proposed by former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in July 2006 during his Middle East tour. With participation of Israel, the Palestinians and Jordan, it seeks to improve the economy in the Palestinian territories through agricultural projects in the West Bank so as to create an atmosphere conducive to pushing forward the Middle East peace process.
In a joint statement, the first such document between the two countries issued following the talks, the two sides agreed to continue high level political dialogues aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, and agreed to establish a working group for promoting economic cooperation.
Olmert arrived in Japan on Monday for a four-day visit, which is the first one by a Israeli prime minister since Benjamin Netanyahu visited Japan in 1997.
Source: Xinhua
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