Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Saturday night and expressed his expectation for Japan to take a key role in a planned international conference on peace in the Middle East, Japanese officials said.
Arafat called Japan the most important donor nation and said it should also become a member of the committee for a meeting proposed by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, the officials said.
Japan is a major aid donor to the Palestinians, along with the EU and the U.S.
Kawaguchi told Arafat, "I want you to talk about it with other nations," suggesting a positive response on the part of Japan, according to the officials.