Palestinian Territories

Asia-Africa conference for Palestine opens in Indonesia

Monday 14 July 2008

African and Asian foreign ministers meet in Indonesia for a one-day conference to discuss Palestinian reconstruction alongside Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened an Asia-Africa conference on "capacity building for Palestine" alongside Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad here Monday.
   
The president of the world's most populous Muslim country said the ministerial-level talks aimed to offer help to prepare Palestinians to govern and administer their own state.
   
Yudhoyono said the 53 countries and organisations at the Asia-Africa conference would reiterate calls for the implementation of the 2003 Middle East peace roadmap.
   
"The international community must work together in concert to realise the goal of an independent, viable Palestinian state in the very near future," he said.
   
He backed what he called their "courageous struggle" against Israeli occupation of the their territories.
   
"It is a bitter struggle. There are now some four million Palestinians living in distress. They suffer all kinds of violence... Their human rights and their human dignity are violated," he said.
   
The one-day conference is being held under the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership framework, intended to promote peace, prosperity and progress in the two regions.
   
It comes after the Israelis and Palestinians held talks on the sidelines of a summit of Mediterranean leaders in Paris at the weekend.
   
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said after talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Sunday: "We have never been as close to an accord as we are today."
   
Fayyad referred to ongoing negotiations with the Israelis but he made no reference to the Paris talks.
   
He said the Palestinians needed help from Asia and Africa to realise the "vision of Palestine that is democratic, that respects human rights and that guarantees equal rights for all citizens."
   
"Many of your states have recently passed through the phase we are in right now, or indeed are going through it. We Palestinians are inspired by your success stories," he said, referring to independence struggles.