Mideast peace talks in focus at Palestinian development meet
Sunday, 2 March 2014
JAKARTA, Mar 1 (AFP): Representatives of 22 nations including Japan and Indonesia pledged further efforts to promote Palestinian development at a conference in Jakarta on Saturday, with several countries reiterating their support for a two-state solution.
The Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) ended with a statement from participants supporting the ongoing Middle East peace process and saying that strengthening the Palestinian private sector was crucial to ensuring stability in the region.
It came after US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that a full Middle East peace deal which he is attempting to broker will likely slip past the April 29 deadline. Kerry coaxed the two sides back to the negotiating table in late July after a three-year hiatus.
"We still believe that the two-state vision can be envisaged and realised. And here I must commend the... efforts of Mr John Kerry," Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah said.
Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida announced further aid commitments to the Palestinian Territories, adding to the $1.38 billion already delivered by Japan since 1993.