The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, said in Beijing yesterday the lesson he drew from the successful conclusion of the Northern Ireland peace process was that negotiations could not be completed "under the shadow of violence".
Mr Netanyahu was speaking at a press conference after meeting Chinese leaders, whom he hoped would use their influence in the Middle East to help bring about peace.
The Northern Ireland peace process was a "great success and I hope it will materialise in practice," Mr Netanyahu said in response to a question from The Irish Times about what lessons he would draw from the Belfast Agreement. "I think the lesson I would draw is the importance of goodwill, patience and perseverance, and that includes the parties and the mediators and facilitators," he said. "It also includes one other principle which the British government in particular insisted upon over and over again. That is that negotiations cannot proceed and be completed under the shadow and threat and reality of violence. These are very good principles and Israel is quite prepared to adhere to them. I hope others do, too."
He added he was sure that with proper perseverance and patience "we will achieve success". Though he did not go into details the Israeli prime minister appeared to be alluding to acts of violence carried out by the militant Palestinian organisation, Hamas, against Israel in the past two years.
Regarding China's influence on the Middle East peace process, he said: "China has some important relationships in the Middle East and we will not hesitate to appeal to the influence China has in certain quarters in order to create that atmosphere of goodwill."
Beijing has in the past backed the PLO, and maintains diplomatic and economic ties with Iran and Iraq. Beijing and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992. In the talks China voiced concern over the Middle East peace talks and said it supported a Palestinian state. Mr Netanyahu predicted: "By the year 2000 we shall have signed at least one other peace treaty with at least one of our neighbours," but did not elaborate.