Japan support resumption of Mideast peace talks

Jordan and Japan on Tuesday voiced support for the resumption of the deadlocked peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The remarks came during talks between Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Japan’s special envoy to the Middle East, Yutaka Limura, according to Jordan’s news agency (PETRA). Judeh urged the world community to carry out effective moves with a view to achieving progress towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state vision that ensures the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Jordanian minister said that Japan could play “a role” in bringing the two sides to the negotiating table. For his part, Limura said that Tokyo supported Jordanian efforts aimed at “preventing further deterioration” of the situation, urging the Israeli and Palestinian sides to resume direct talks.