Peace-loving people from Palestine and Israel expressed hope yesterday that China could increase its influence to help promote the peace process in the Middle East region.

 

"We ask China to consider practical steps to increase its influence in the region, such as joining the Middle East Quartet of the US, the EU, Russia and the UN, in order to make its interest in stability and peace in the world bear upon the future of our region," said a joint statement published by the Israeli-Palestinian delegation at a seminar on the Peace Process in the Middle East in Beijing.

 

At the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Abdel Kader Hamed, former minister of the state of Palestinian National Authority, and Yossi Beilin, former Israeli minister of the justice, were meeting in Beijing to reignite the peace process in the Middle East.

 

No negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli officials have taken place in the past six years, Hamed said at a news conference in Beijing. Despite a cease-fire agreement signed in the past weeks, bloodshed was still seen in the region, he added.

 

"Given the current situation, we need to double our efforts in the peace process and make more people believe peace is likely in the region," Hamed said.

 

"We hope China can join in the Quartet as international attempts have failed to move the process forward, since some countries cannot adopt a balanced attitude in dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he said.

 

Sun Bigan, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue, said at the news conference that China has been attaching great importance to the development of the Middle East situation and particularly hopes the region can achieve long-lasting peace.

 

"No matter whether we are invited into the Quartet, we will play a positive role in the Middle East peace process and support every effort for peace and stability in the region," Sun said.

 

According to Sun, the seminar, which runs until Sunday, aims to provide a platform for peace-loving people in the Middle East region so as to make efforts for the promotion of peace process there.

 

Beilin appreciated China's efforts in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling China "a friend of peace in the Middle East."

 

China plays a unique and important role in international affairs, so it cannot ignore the Middle East issue, he said.

 

(China Daily December 16, 2006)