JAKARTA, June 21, 2008, (WAFA)-Indonesia will host a ministerial- level conference for Asian and African countries to discuss technical assistance for Palestine and to plan for its future independence, local press said Saturday.
The conference, co-hosted by South Africa, will run from July 14 to 15, and will bring together envoys from some 100 countries to discuss a list of capacity building projects for Palestine in the fields of governance, infrastructure, economy, security, health and sports.
'The main objective is how Asian and African countries design programs to empower Palestine and its institutions, because we expect the occupied Palestine to become a future independent state that co-exists peacefully with its neighbors,' Indonesian Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Imron Cotan was quoted by major newspaper The Jakarta Post as saying.
Imron said Indonesia expected participating countries to send their highest-ranking foreign affairs officials because the conference 'carries political weight' and to prevent 'any unfulfilled pledges'.
'We hope the conference will conclude with a joint communiqué that is explicit in terms of the cooperation and the time frame,' he said.
Imron, who met with Asian and African ambassadors to Indonesia on Friday, said the conference would be held under the auspices of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, which includes support for the independence of Palestine as one of its mandates.
