I

ndonesia promised US$1.5 million to assist in the development of Palestine under the framework of East-Asian countries'€™ cooperation this year.

During the second meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD II) in Jakarta on Saturday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said: '€œIndonesia has been and will remain consistent in supporting Palestine to be an independent and sovereign country with not only political support but also economic and development assistance.'€

The funds will be focused on capacity building in the sector of infrastructure, information communication and technology (ICT), tourism, light manufacture and agriculture.

ASEAN'€™s 10 member countries as well as Japan, China, South Korea, South Africa and five international organizations attended the conference.

Meanwhile, representatives of the US, Australia, India and the European Union also attended as observers.

CEAPAD was established under a Japanese initiative to back up the realization of peace through the '€œtwo-state solution'€ to Middle East peace, which is the core of challenges in the Middle East and North African region. The
first CEAPAD was held in Tokyo last year.

In a joint statement, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to support Palestine'€™s development, including capacity development, and strengthen its business environment.

Yudhoyono said that unrest in Middle Eastern countries still existed but he wanted to see peace and stability prevail in the struggling countries.

'€œSyria is still engulfed in internal conflict. Libya is struggling for durable peace and stability. And Egypt is still facing challenges in its democratic transition. Meanwhile, Tunisia and Algeria are largely on track with their democratization,'€ Yudhoyono said in his opening remarks.

Furthermore, he believed nuclear weapons should not be given any space in the Middle East.

'€œThere is an absence of a nuclear-free zone treaty in the Middle East today. It needs one,'€ he said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said that the meeting, which was held amid a very complicated political
and economic landscape, renewed his hope in a better future for Palestine.

'€œWe still believe in hope and we count on your assistance, you are our genuine partners, we count on your assistance for providing more political support in the international arena,'€ he said.

'€œI hope our partnership will continue after Palestine achieve full independence,'€ he said. (idb)