Arafat to visit Japan tomorrow

Palestinian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nabil Shaath said in Gaza that the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is to pay a visit to Japan tomorrow after concluding his talks with Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov in Moscow on peace in the Middle East and declaring the Palestinian state.

Arafat is to head to China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia to push these countries to recognize the Palestinian state.

He also said that it is decided to send Palestinian deputies to other countries where Arafat will not be able to visit to for the same purpose.

Shaath said the Palestinian side could proclaim its independent state even if it is not agreed upon through negotiations with Israel, saying that the recent announcement of the European Union has dictated this.