Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Fukuda by Four Ministers concerned with the Concept of the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity”

July 2, 2008

On Wednesday July 2, from 16:10 for approximately 25 minutes, at the Prime Minister’s official residence, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda received a courtesy call from four Ministers (including Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs) who were to attend the Third Ministerial-Level Meeting of the Four-Party Consultative Unit for the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity.” The outline of the talks is as follows. The Ministerial-Level Meeting of the Four-Party Consultative Unit was held in Tokyo after the courtesy call.

At the outset, Prime Minister Fukuda welcomed the visits to Japan by Mr. Gideon Ezra, Minister of Environment Protection of Israel, Dr. Abdullah, Minister of Planning of the Palestinian National Authority, and Mr. Salaheddin Al-Bashir, Foreign Minister of Jordan. Mr. Fukuda stated that the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, living in co-existence and co-prosperity with Israel, was indispensable for achieving peace in the Middle East, and he hoped that the promotion of the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative would contribute to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Mr. Fukuda also stated that peace and stability in the Middle East were directly affecting the peace and stability of the international community as a whole, and that Japan, as the host country of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held next week, intended to contribute maximally to that end.
Each Minister highly appreciated Japan’s “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative and expressed their gratitude for its contribution and made the following statements:

(1) Dr. Abdullah, Minister of Planning of the Palestinian National Authority, stated that the initiative was very important in creating a conductive environment for the current Middle East peace process, and that cooperation by all the parties concerned, especially by Israel, was indispensable for its success. Then as a condition for the success of the initiative, Dr. Abdullah explained requirements for its success; making available sufficient and affordable land and ensuring access and movement of the people and goods, and also emphasized the importance of the involvement of the private sector. Dr. Abdullah expressed his appreciation for Japan’s assistance given so far to the Palestinians.

(2) Mr. Gideon Ezra, Minister of Environment Protection of Israel, states that it was unthinkable a few years ago that representatives of the three parties would meet in this manner, and the holding of the Meeting would become a good model for the Middle East peace process in the coming years. After expressing his appreciation for Japan’s contribution to the Middle East, Mr. Ezra stated that Israel would render all support for developing a viable Palestinian economy and improving the Palestinians’ life conditions, adding that he wished to further promote cooperation for the environmental issue since the environment had no border.

(3) Mr. Salaheddin Al-Bashir, Foreign Minister of Jordan, stated that Japan’s cooperation was important, and Japan’s involvement in the Middle East peace process was indispensable. Mr. Bashir not only expressed his appreciation for the “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative but also for Japan’s assistance for Jordan so far.

Mr. Fukuda stated that judging from the atmosphere of this meeting and looking at the faces of the Ministers, it was hard to imagine that serious conflicts were going on in the region. He expressed his hope that all the parties could bring back this good atmosphere to the region and would keep dialogues, and added that for the realization of peace in the Middle East, Japan would contribute proactively to the Middle East peace process including the “Corridor” initiative. Mr. Fukuda also stated that Mr. Koumura was determined to make the project successful while promoting friendship among all parties concerned, so he hoped the Ministers would cooperate with Mr. Koumura to make the Meeting successful.
In response, each Minister expressed their hope of Prime Minister Fukuda’s attendance to the next Ministerial- Level Meeting hopefully held in the region. The talks were followed by exchanges of views in a friendly and cordial atmosphere.

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