RAMALLAH, May 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is scheduled to pay an official visit to China on May17-19, called upon Beijing to play a bigger role in the Mideast peace process.

    Abbas voiced his expectation in a recent written interview with Xinhua before he starts a three-day visit to China as of Tuesday, the first official trip he makes to the world's most populous country since being elected as Palestinian president in January.

    China, as one of the five countries in the UN Security Council with veto right, can play a bigger role in achieving peace and security in the volatile Middle East region, Abbas told Xinhua.

    "As a great country with principles and a long history which holds a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, China can play a bigger and more important role in the Mideast peace process," he added.

    "We hope China, along with the international quartet committee, can contribute more to settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Abbas said.

    The so-called quartet committee groups key Mideast mediators of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

    Lauding the long friendly Sino-Palestinian relationship, the Palestinian leader appreciated China's efforts in achieving peace and stability in the Mideast.

    "China is the first country in the world to lend support to the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom and also the first country to roll the red carpet to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat," Abbas said.

    Interpreting his visit to China as a manifestation of the friendship and cooperation between the two sides, Abbas said he will discuss with the Chinese leadership the latest development in the Mideast peace process and the life of the Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation.

    ONE LEGAL GUN FOR ONE LEGAL AUTHORITY

     When asked about recent Palestinian security reforms to impose law and order, Abbas defended his policies to confiscate illegal weapons and regroup the security troops.

    "Any weapons that are not in the hands of the legal authorities will certainly lead to chaos, anarchy and security deterioration," Abbas said.

    "On the one hand, people loathe living in chaos; on the other hand, we are trying to build a state of law and discipline based on the principle of 'one legal gun for one legal authority'," he added.

    Chaos and violence on the Israeli targets have ebbed away since the major Palestinian factions were persuaded by Abbas into an agreement in mid March to abide by a de facto ceasefire with Israel till the year end.

    "Palestinian factions accepted this truce agreement which also calls for imposing law and discipline by the legal Palestinian National Authority (PNA) security apparatuses," said Abbas.

    On Israel's repeated accusations that the PNA is not doing enough to dismantle militant groups and stamp out violence, Abbas countered that Israel is using the accusations as an excuse to evade its own peace obligations.

    "The Israeli side has acknowledged that attacks have dropped by95 percent and some Israeli officials are pointing the finger of blame to the PNA only in an attempt to escape from the international pressure to hand over more West Bank cities, remove checkpoints, freeze settlement expansion and stop constructing the separation wall," he said.

    "The world is not blind and it sees who is implementing the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings while who is escaping from them," he stressed.

    Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a mutual ceasefire deal in a Feb. 8 summit held in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh.As part of a confidence-building package, Israel promised to return five West Bank cities and release 900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

    Two West Bank cities of Jericho and Tulkarm were handed over and some 500 Palestinians were set free after the historic meeting, but Israel has stopped there, blaming the Palestinian leadership for failing to crack down on militants.

    HAMAS TO BE PARTNER

    As to the Islamic Hamas' decision to race in the Palestinian legislative elections slated for July 20, Abbas said the PNA welcomes Hamas' participation in the elections.

    "Hamas accepted the Hudna (truce) and also decided to join the municipal and legislative elections, which qualify it to be a true partner in our political system that is based on multiplicity," he said.

    The moderate Palestinian leader has been struggling hard to engulf the militant groups including Hamas and Jihad into the Palestinian political landscape in hopes of curbing violence, seen as a crucial step to revive the stalled Mideast peace process.

    In an effort to fend off national strife, Abbas, however, is reluctant to confront with Hamas, the largest Palestinian Islamic militant group with great street popularity.

    Meanwhile, Hamas, bent on the destruction of Israel, has presented a strong performance in the recent Palestinian municipal elections.

    It also declared to stand in the coming parliamentary elections, the first time in its history. But the group insists on keeping its arms.

    GAZA PULLOUT SHOULD BE PART OF ROADMAP

    With regard to the coming Israeli Gaza pullout, Abbas insisted that the withdrawal, the first evacuation of Jewish settlements from occupied Palestinian lands, should be part of the roadmap peace plan.

    He also said the Palestinian side is fully ready to coordinate with Israel during the pullout, vowing to keep order and discipline in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank once the pullout is done.

    In addition, Abbas also urged Israel to freeze settlement expansion, stop building the separation wall in the West Bank and eventually withdraw completely from all the Palestinian territories it seized during the 1967 Middle East War.

    "Israel has no choice but to withdraw from all the occupied territories including East Jerusalem and we consider all settlements on our territories illegal and must be removed sooner or later," said Abbas.

    Categorically ruling out any possibility to establish a temporary Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip that Israel is to give up, Abbas asserted that the future independent Palestinian state shall cover both Gaza and the West Bank with Jerusalem as its capital.

    Israeli Prime Minister Sharon put forward the so-called disengagement plan in 2003, under which Israel is to evacuate troops and settlers from all the 21 settlements in the hard-to-defend Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank.

    But Israel has insisted on keeping the large West Bank settlement blocs in any future peace settlement with the Palestinians.

    The coming pullout is expected to top the agenda during Abbas' visits to Israel and the United States later this month.

    Abbas said he will listen to Sharon's opinions and positions concerning the withdrawal and other outstanding issues, adding that he will urge the Israeli leader to fulfill the Sharm el-Sheikhunder standings and implement the roadmap peace plan.

    As for his first trip to Washington since being elected president in January, Abbas said he will ask US President George W. Bush to press Israel to carry out the roadmap and lend more security and economical aid to help revive the Palestinian economy and rehabilitate the security apparatuses. Enditem