Arafat Holds Ceremony to Welcome Chinese PresidentPalestinian President Yasser Arafat held a ceremony in Bethlehem, Palestine on Saturday to welcome Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who is paying a state visit to Palestine, the first such visit by a Chinese head of state.Arafat and his wife Suha Arafat greeted President Jiang and his wife Wang Yeping at Arafat's presidential office in Bethlehem. The national anthems of China and Palestine were played. After accompanying Jiang to inspect the Palestinian honor guard, Arafat awarded Jiang the Medal of Bethlehem 2000. Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen and his wife Zhou Hanqiong, and State Councillor Wu Yi also attended the welcoming ceremony. Jiang arrived in Palestine earlier in the day on the second leg of his five-nation state visit. The other four countries are Israel, Turkey, Greece and South Africa. During the visit, he will also meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Alexandria of Egypt. |
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