BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Any international conference
intending to solve the Middle East issue should include
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said here Tuesday.
   When asked about an Israeli proposal to hold an international
peace conference which might not include Arafat, Zhang said that
China has heard about the proposal and is waiting for more
detailed information about the proposal and the responses from
related parties, especially the Arab nations.
   She noted that Yasser Arafat, as the leader of Palestine, is
held in high esteem by his people and one of the initiators of
Middle East peace process. China considers him indispensable to
the process as he has made a great contribution to promoting the
peace drive in the Middle East. Enditem