Visit to Japan by Dr. Nabil Sha'ath, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority

May 16, 2000

Dr. Nabil Sha'ath, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority, will visit Japan from May 17 (Wed) to 19 (Fri) at the invitation of the Government of Japan.
On May 18 (Thu), Dr. Sha'ath will hold a Japan-Palestinian Ministerial Political Consultation meeting with Mr. Yohei Kono, Foreign Minister of Japan, and have meetings of the Japan-Palestinian Joint Committee with relevant Japanese officials.
At the Political Consultation, both sides will exchange views on the latest situation of the Middle East peace process. At the Joint Committee, the two sides will exchange views on measures to strengthen the bilateral relations in the following six committees: political; economic cooperation; finance; industry and trade; private investment; and education and culture. The Committee meetings will be attended on the Palestinian side by relevant officials from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Higher Education, and on the Japanese side by relevant officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Ministry of Education, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
The Political Consultation and the Joint Committee were proposed by Foreign Minister Kono in October last year when Mr. Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority and Chairman of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), visited Japan. Their purpose is to have a favorable influence on the progress of the Middle East peace process, at a time when peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are at a critical juncture toward a Final Status Agreement in September, 2000.

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