1. Palestinian Foreign Minister, Nasser Al-Kidwa is scheduled to pay an official visit to Korea from October 
30 to November 1, at the invitation by Minister Ban Ki-moon.  It will be his first visit to Korea as Palestinian 
foreign minister.

2. Minister Al-Kidwa will hold the ROK-Palestine Foreign Ministers' Talks with Minister Ban to discuss ways 
to promote substantial cooperative ties between the two countries, especially in areas of trade and 
investment, and exchange views on various issues of mutual concern such as the situations on the Korean 
Peninsula and in the Middle East.

3. During his visit, Minister Al-Kidwa will also pay a courtesy call on President Roh Moo-hyun, meet with 
KOICA President and give a lecture on the recent situation in the Middle East.

4. The ROK and Palestine began mutual exchanges and cooperation in November 1995, and have been 
developing bilateral cooperative ties ever since.  The forthcoming visit by Minister Al-Kidwa is expected to 
contribute to efforts to diversify the ROK's diplomatic horizon by strengthening friendly and cooperative ties 
with Palestine and the ROK's diplomacy toward the Middle East.

5. It is also expected to be a meaningful opportunity to lay groundwork for Korean companies' efforts to 
make inroads into the Palestinian market once the international community's assistance for reconstruction 
of Palestine hits its stride with settlement of peace in the Middle East.

                                                       Spokesperson of MOFAT 

* unofficial translation