BEIJING, May 18 -- Foreign ministers from 22 Arab nations are scheduled to gather in Beijing at the end of this month to attend the ministerial meeting of the second Sino-Arab Co-operation Forum.

    The two-day forum will focus on discussing the establishment of a new Sino-Arab partnership, and it will adopt a communiqu¨¦ on issues of common concern and a working plan for the forum in the coming two years.

    Zhai Jun, director-general of West Asian and North African affairs of the Foreign Ministry said that Beijing has invited Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar to attend the meeting and has received confirmation.

    He said China has always attached importance to Middle East affairs and is devoted to the realization of peace and stability in the region.

    "We should respect the will of nations and peoples in the region and facilitate consultations between countries," he said, urging Palestine and Israel to recognize each other and resume peace talks.

    China's relations with Arab nations are developing smoothly and the two-way trade volume reached US$51.3 billion last year. Though it does not account for much of China's foreign trade, Zhai said, the figure is 10 times what it was a decade ago. Enditem

    (Source: China Daily)