BEIJING - As the Middle East peace process is entering a crucial stage, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's ongoing tour of the region is sending a message that China advocates better cooperation and coordination among all parties concerned to push forward Mideast peace.

China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has adhered to a just and impartial stand in its vigorous efforts to promote dialogue and reconciliation between the parties concerned.

In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the Chinese foreign minister urged Israel and Arab countries to treasure what they have achieved through long years of hard negotiations and stick to the right direction of peace talks in their joint efforts to push forward the peace process.

Yang reiterated China's readiness to help with the dialogue between Israel and Arabic countries, enhance their mutual trust, and play a constructive role in facilitating Israel-Arab peace talks and contribute to the early and fair resolution of the Middle East issues.

The Palestinian issue is at the core of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The Mideast peace process has undergone twists and turns since the 1991 Mideast peace conference in Madrid. History has proven that resorting to force cannot solve the conflicts in the region and peace is the general trend independent of people's will no matter what difficulties and setbacks there will be.

China is committed to boosting the Mideast peace process, and advocates and supports efforts to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict through political talks on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and Middle East roadmap.

When meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit on Tuesday, Yang said China supports the two-state solution and regards it as the only way out for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In November 2007 at the international peace conference in Annapolis, the United States, Israeli and Palestinian leaders vowed to resume their peace talks to reach an extensive peace deal and form an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in real peace and security.

The two-state resolution, however, is still bogged down over some major problems such as the status of Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees.

The political settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict is impossible without the concerted efforts of the international community. Yang said in his talks with Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday that China is ready, along with the international community, to help the Palestinians realize their goal of nation building at an early date and push the Middle East peace process forward through unremitting efforts.

He also urged the international community to offer strong support to efforts to strengthen the unity among the Palestinians and promote economic growth on the Palestinian territories.

China has always played close attention to peace and development in the Middle East and believes that economic growth and political process in Palestine are closely linked and supplement each other. China has offered economic assistance in various forms to Palestinian territories to help improve people's life and promote the territories' social-economic development.

Lasting peace and stability is not only in the fundamental interest of the Middle East countries, but also conducive to world peace and prosperity. China will continue, together with the rest of the international community, to enhance communication and coordination among parties concerned and play a constructive role in achieving peace in the region at an early date.

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