ASEM summiteers insist on continuing Palestinian-Israeli talks.

4/10 Tass 102

BRUSSELS, October 4 (Itar-Tass) - The ASEM Summiteers believe it
necessary to continue the Palestinian-Israeli talks and lift the blockade
on the Gaza Strip, according to a final draft declaration, which was
adopted by the 8th Asia Europe Summit on Monday.
The document should be approved by the summiteers on Tuesday.
The sides involved in the Middle East settlement should confirm their
resoluteness to settle disagreements and find necessary means to continue
the dialogue, the draft declaration stresses. It also calls for ensuring
free movement of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as well as of
commercial goods and services.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov left for Brussels to
take part in the 8th summit of the Asia Europe Summit (ASEM8).
ASEM was founded in March 1996. Now the organisation includes 45
members - these are 27 EU countries, the European Commission and 16 Asian
states (10 ASEAN members, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India,
Pakistan and Mongolia), as well as the ASEAN Secretariat. The summiteers
will also admit new members. Russia, Australia and New Zealand will join
in the proceedings for the first time.
This year will be the eighth privileged occasion to give expression to
the common views of Asia and Europe. Representing 58 percent of global
population, 50 percent of global GDP and over 60 percent of global trade,
this gathering will hopefully inspire the world community. Indeed, a month
later, the first G-20 meeting to take place in a non G-8 country will
gather in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, to shape the policies that are
required in the face of the financial and economic crisis. A few weeks
thereafter, the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Climate Change
Convention will meet in Cancun, Mexico, to pursue the efforts started at
the Copenhagen Summit of December last year.
The ASEM leaders will address these and other global challenges but
they will naturally also focus on the relationship between the two
regions. They will seek to strengthen their political dialogue, enhance
their trade and investment relationship, expand people to people and
cultural exchanges and further develop ASEM as their common strategic
asset. The agenda is being established collectively, in all transparency
and through an inclusive process of consultation involving every ASEM
partner. That process will continue until the very day of the Summit. ASEM
8 is truly the Summit of each European and each Asian partner.
-0-yur