Q： President Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian National Authority announced the other day a unilateral cease-fire. It was followed by the announcement by the Israeli Prime Minister  that Israeli troops have been ordered to stop military actions against Palestine. What is China’s comment?

A： The other day, Palestine and Israel again announced their ceasefire decisions. This is a positive step in easing the tension in the Middle East. We welcome this development and hope that the two sides earnestly carry out the cease-fire agreement and restore the peace talks as soon as possible.