Australian Prime Minister John Howard plans to tell Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to seize the moment for peace when the two meet Monday in Gaza.
Responding to questions after being briefed Sunday by Prime Minister Ehud Barak on developments in the peace process, Howard said he sees special opportunities for peace at this time, said Haaretz Monday.
"Australia can, at a diplomatic level, encourage and support the initiatives of the principal players," he said, adding that this is what he intends to do when he meets Arafat.
Howard arrived Saturday for an official four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Bob Hawke was the last Australian prime minister to make a state visit to Israel in 1987. His successor, Paul Keating, attended the funeral of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 – (Several Sources)
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