China to host Palestine-Israel peace symposium

Beijing Dec 15 (IANS) China will host a symposium for Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates in Beijing from December 21 to 22 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Friday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Foreign Affairs Adviser Nabil Shaath and Deputy Speaker of Israeli Parliament Hilik Bar will lead delegations at the symposium Lu was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet the participants Lu said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a new four-point proposal on the Palestine issue during his meeting with Abbas in July.

Xi affirmed China s support for a two-state solution to the Palestine issue and for the establishment of an independent fully sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The symposium aims to offer a communication platform for peace advocates from both Palestine and Israel and provide new ideas to promote the peace process Lu said.

--IANS
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