"The peaceful settlement of Mideast issues will be conducive to stability and peace in the region and the world at large," Wang told reporters upon his arrival at Cairo, the first stop of his maiden Mideast visit.

"China, as one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, enjoys good relationships with countries in the region. Therefore, China has responsibility and obligation to take part in and push ahead with the Mideast peace process," he stressed.

"China believes that under the current circumstance, resorting to peace talks is the best way to solve Mideast issues," he said.

"The purpose of my Mideast tour is to discuss with concerned countries ways to push forward the peace process," he said.

During his stay in Cairo, Wang will meet with Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on the latest situation in the Mideast region on Thursday.

Apart from Egypt, Wang will also travel to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian self-ruled areas.

"The envoy will strive for extensive and in-depth connections with Mideast parties and exchange views with them on the Mideast situation, especially the deadlocked peace process," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told a press conference on Tuesday in Beijing.

"The envoy will also voice China's concern about the impasse of the peace process and make his efforts to push it forward," he added.

At the request of Arab countries, China named Wang as its Mideast envoy in September in an effort to help solve the Arab-Israeli conflict at an early date.

The Mideast region is under crisis as the United States threatens to launch military strikes against Iraq while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to escalate.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2002)