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President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Interim Self-Authority, who was visiting Japan, met with Secretary-General Tsutomu Takebe of the Liberal Democratic Party and Secretary-General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba of the New Komeito at a hotel in Tokyo. President Abbas showed respect and gratitude towards Japanese assistance and expressed strong expectation for future political and economical support. He also insisted that to solve the problems in the Middle East, both Palestine and Israel should corporate in implementing their obligations. In response, Secretary-General Takebe admired President Abbas for his determination to a concrete solution for the problems in the Middle East. He also promised that the LDP will support and corporate with the government in solving the problems, and emphasized the necessity of talks between nations concerned, such as Israel, EU, Russia, and China. Secretary-General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba showed the expectation by stating that Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, President Vladimir Putin, and the other leaders of the world are giving attentions to President Abbas' behaviors, while reflecting back on the strained situation in the Middle East during his visit in 2002. It has become a productive conference, as LDP declared full support for the efforts by both Palestine and Japan, sharing a common understanding that "now is the historic opportunity for a progress in Middle East peace." |
