Remarks by Mr. Shintaro Ito,
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan
On the Occasion of the International Conference
in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza

Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
March 2, 2009

Honorable Chairs,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Government of Japan, I should like to express my deepest appreciation to the Governments of Egypt and Norway for their great efforts in hosting this conference.

Now, the international community should unify our efforts to reconstruct Gaza and to restore the Middle East peace process aimed at building a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side with Israel.

Honorable Chairs,

All the parties should contribute to the realization of Middle East peace with their own wisdom and experience. They should act responsively, and make constructive efforts.

I whole-heartedly welcome the recent agreement reached by Palestinian factions to launch a dialogue for their internal reconciliation. I strongly urge them to maintain it. I also ask the countries in the region to intensify their efforts for stability. I call on Israel to freeze the settlement activities and to ease the movement restrictions as included in the Roadmap.

In order to recover the normal lives of the innocent citizens of Gaza, it is indispensable to continue humanitarian assistance and ensure a permanent cease-fire. It is also required to keep the crossings open continuously to secure the smooth movement of the related people and goods. Japan calls on the related parties including Israel to make further efforts towards this end. At the same time, to prevent a return to violence, Japan supports the efforts to eradicate the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Honorable Chairs,

For our part, Japan has been making its own efforts. In response to the situation in Gaza, we immediately implemented about 11 million US dollars in emergency humanitarian assistance including in-kind assistance to UNRWA. Following the telephone calls from Prime Minister Aso to Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas, we dispatched Ambassador Arima, our Special Envoy for the Middle East, to fully support Egyptian mediation efforts for a cease-fire. Several Japanese NGOs are actively engaging in the efforts for the improvement of the humanitarian situation.

The reconstruction of Gaza must serve as a cornerstone for the establishment of a Palestinian state comprised of the West Bank and Gaza. To this end, Japan will provide 200 million US dollars in assistance to the Palestinians in the coming years, which includes the unimplemented part of the pledge in Paris and some suspended projects. And swiftly, we will implement humanitarian assistance at a scale of 60 million US dollars which is part of the 200 million US dollars I have just announced.

Also, we will strengthen our support for the creation of a viable Palestinian economy through the "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" initiative and other means.

Honorable Chairs,

With a view to creating a Palestinian state, the international community should support President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority in their efforts to unify the West Bank and Gaza.

We will keep advancing towards a "two-state" solution. Now is the time that we should establish constructive dialogues among different civilizations. By doing so, we will be able to integrate our individual efforts in order to formulate a grand strategy towards that solution. I believe that it will become a united root for a tree that will bear a fruit of peace.

Let's advance together towards peace.

Thank you.