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On December 5, Mr. Shinzo Abe, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, announced the visit by Prime Minister Koizumi to the Middle East next January as follows:
"Prime Minister Koizumi will visit, if the circumstances permit, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Turkey in the first half of next January. Specific dates and schedules are currently under preparation. The purpose of this visit, in addition to the promotion of the bilateral relations with each party, is to encourage further efforts by the Israelis and the Palestinians to advance the Middle East Peace Process and to reaffirm Japan's willingness to continue assisting such efforts. As for the visit to Turkey, it is aimed at conducting a political dialogue towards the stability in the Middle East ."
[Related Links]
* On the Agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Reopening of the Rafah Border Crossing of the Gaza Strip (Statement by the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (November 17)
* Summary of Japan’s Assistance to the Palestinians
* Visit to Japan by Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority
* Visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories by Mr. Nobutaka Machimura, Minister for Foreign Affairs (January 15 to 17, 2005) (Overview and Evaluation)
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