On the afternoon of April 5, 2002, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan made a telephone call to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Amr Mahmoud Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States respectively.

Tang conveyed warm greetings and sympathy from President Jiang Zemin and the Chinese government to President Arafat. Tang told Arafat that the Chinese government strongly denounces the aggressive activities of Israel. He said that the Chinese side is making efforts in various aspects to urge Israel to immediately implement the relative resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council and withdraw all troops from Palestinian territory as soonas possible.

Tang said that President Jiang calls Arafat the banner of the just cause of Palestine. He said Arafat is admirable because of his composure in the face of vicissitudes and the courage he has shown in times of mortal danger. Tang emphasized that a just cause enjoys abundant support, while an unjust cause finds little support. The Chinese government and people will, as always, firmly support Arafat and the just cause of the Palestinian people in their struggle to resume their legitimate national rights.

Arafat thanked Tang for calling him at this time of crisis. He also thanked the Chinese leaders and government for their consistent support for the just cause of the Palestinian people. He appealed to the international community to act immediately to restore the Middle East peace process.

During his telephone conversation with Moussa, Tang explained the Chinese government's view on the current situation in the Middle East. Tang said the Chinese side has been making efforts in all aspects to ease the tension in the Middle East. President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders have repeatedly made clear China's stance on this issue when they met with foreign guests in Beijing recently. China has also maintained consultations and coordination with the U.N. secretary-general and the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council through various channels. As the rotational coordinator of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the resident representative of China in the U.N. summoned the five permanent members to meet for consultation on the Middle East situation on April 3. After the meeting, the resident representative of China at the U.N. met with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to brief him about the consultation and express the wish that Annan would continue to play an active role in the process.

Tang said Arafat, as the leader of the Palestinian people, enjoys high prestige among them and is an indispensable leader in the Middle East peace process. The Israeli side is playing with fire by besieging Arafat and threatening to exile him.

Tang noted that the League of Arab States is to convene an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the Middle East situation. He expressed the hope that the Arab nations would take practical measures to stop the occurrence of all incidents of violence, resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and restore stability in the Middle East. He said that China will, as always, continue to make efforts to support justice and the legitimate demands of the Arab countries, stop violence and resume peace talks.

Moussa thanked Tang for calling, and said the Arab nations place great importance on and highly appreciate the just stance that China holds on the current situation in the Middle East. He said he would brief the foreign ministers attending the meeting of the League of Arab States on the next day about China's stance as mentioned above.