Japan's Support for the Middle East Peace

as of May 1999

An Overview

Last fall marked the seven-year anniversary of the Middle East Peace Process, and the five-year anniversary of the interim peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Despite all difficulties and obstacles, dramatic progress has been made for the last seven years in the Middle East Peace Process to change this region once ridden with hatred and violence into a place of peace and co-existence. This would not have been achieved without the sincere efforts of all parties concerned and the United States as a mediator. Japan would hereby like to applaud those painstaking efforts and on its part reaffirm its own commitment to play a part to help consolidate those efforts on this promised land.

Japan, aware that it should dedicate as much effort possible in the international cooperation to support the Peace Process, has been instrumental in achieving peace in the region, simply because the peace of the region, where circles of revenge have been rampant, are vital not only for Japan, but for the entire international community.

Japan believes that the basic existing principles of the Middle East peace process shown in the Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 425, as well as Madrid Conference and such agreements as the Oslo Agreement should continue to be valid beyond May 4, 1999. From this viewpoint, Japan is continuing calling for parties concerned to implement all agreements from the Declaration of Principles through the Wye River Memorandum, and to refrain from taking any unilateral actions that might prejudice the outcome of the final status negotiations, in such occasions as Foreign Minister Koumura's visit to the Middle East in January 1999, President Arafat's visit to Japan in April 1999, and President Mubarak's visit to Japan in April 1999.

Japan has been continuously supporting the Palestinian people's right of self-determination including the right to establish an independent state.

We have also provided economic assistance particularly to the Palestinians in order to help cover the startup expenses of the interim Palestinian self-government (e.g. housing support for the Palestinian police) and projects designed to create jobs and establish social infrastructure, such as the Gaza Clean-up Project and road pavement project.

Japan is also a principal donor to Egypt, Jordan and Syria through grants, loans and technical cooperation, including third country training programs for Palestinians. Power plants and water supply projects are major loan projects, while hospitals and universities are the main beneficiary of our technical cooperation.

Regarding Syrian and Lebanese track, Japan is keeping to have talks with parties to resume negotiations as soon as possible, based on the Four Point Principles on the Southern Lebanon, which Foreign Minister Koumura proposed to the parties in January 1999.

It also played a major role, along with the United States, the European Union and other countries, in creating frameworks for regional cooperation at the Multilateral Track of the Middle East Peace Process, Middle East and North Africa Economic Summit, and other venues. Japan chairs the Environment Working Group and has taken initiatives in formulating Environmental Code of Conduct and such project as the Upper Gulf of Aqaba Oil Spill Contingency Project. Japan also took the lead in establishing the Middle East Mediterranean Travel and Tourism Association, the first institution created out of the Peace Process.

Japan has also contributed to the Process by sending personnel, for instance, to monitor the election of the Palestinian Council and to provide transportation and other backup support to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights.

Remaining committed to helping achieve peace in the region despite the many tears shed in the past, Japan will dedicate all the efforts it can make to keep the process rolling into a peaceful Middle East in the coming years.