Tokyo talks agree on project to boost Palestinian economy

TOKYO – Japan and Middle Eastern leaders yesterday agreed on a project to bring thousands of badly needed jobs to the West Bank, voicing hope it would lay the groundwork for a Palestinian state.

Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority said in talks in Tokyo that they aimed to start building a Japanese-funded agro-industrial park in the region by early next year. Saying there was an “urgent need” to improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians, the four sides said that the project would create jobs and “build trust among all the parties.”Japan is spearheading the project as part of its drive to increase its clout in the Middle East and broaden its global influence.Japan timed the meeting before it hosts next week’s summit of the Group of Eight industrial powers.The project, first proposed by Japan in 2006, would export fruit and vegetables via Jordan to the Gulf and provide jobs for up to 6 000 Palestinians, a Japanese foreign ministry official said.”It is extremely important that both sides execute measures agreed to in the road map including a halt to settlement construction and violence,” Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told the Israeli delegate, Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra.Palestinian planning minister Samir Abdullah told Komura that Israeli cooperation was “essential” for the project to work, pointing to the hundreds of Israeli checkpoints that could impede exports.Japan has portrayed itself as a neutral broker in the Middle East due to its lack of historical ties.But it has long maintained friendly ties with Arab states and Iran on which the resource-poor Asian power depends heavily for oil and gas.Nampa-AFPSaying there was an “urgent need” to improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians, the four sides said that the project would create jobs and “build trust among all the parties.”Japan is spearheading the project as part of its drive to increase its clout in the Middle East and broaden its global influence.Japan timed the meeting before it hosts next week’s summit of the Group of Eight industrial powers.The project, first proposed by Japan in 2006, would export fruit and vegetables via Jordan to the Gulf and provide jobs for up to 6 000 Palestinians, a Japanese foreign ministry official said.”It is extremely important that both sides execute measures agreed to in the road map including a halt to settlement construction and violence,” Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told the Israeli delegate, Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra.Palestinian planning minister Samir Abdullah told Komura that Israeli cooperation was “essential” for the project to work, pointing to the hundreds of Israeli checkpoints that could impede exports.Japan has portrayed itself as a neutral broker in the Middle East due to its lack of historical ties.But it has long maintained friendly ties with Arab states and Iran on which the resource-poor Asian power depends heavily for oil and gas.Nampa-AFP