Japan will host an international meeting next week to discuss financial assistance for the Palestinian Authority and pave the way for resuming direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis, officials said Monday.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is expected to attend the two-day Tokyo meeting from Feb.13, as well as ministers from Japan, South Korea and several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Thailand and Indonesia, the officials said.
A U.N. resolution was adopted in November to upgrade Palestine to a nonmember observer state, but the United States and Israel have since taken a tougher line, hurting the Palestinian economy.