McCully to visit Middle East   3 May 2012

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will travel to the Middle East tomorrow for a ministerial summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

“The NAM Ministerial Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, is an excellent opportunity to discuss important global and regional issues, such as the ongoing conflict in Syria, with ministers from over 120 countries,” Mr McCully says.

“It is a significant gathering to which I will convey New Zealand’s strong credentials for the United Nations Security Council membership in 2015-16.”

Enroute to Wednesday’s summit, Mr McCully will visit Israel, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territory, where he will meet with a number of key officials including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan’s Prince Hassan and Palestinian leaders President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

“New Zealand has long taken a balanced, even-handed stance on the Arab-Israel conflict, and been a consistent supporter of a diplomatically negotiated solution through the Middle East Peace Process,” Mr McCully says.

“We want to continue to be a constructive partner in this regard.”

(New Zealand Government)

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