An Asia-Africa conference of 53 countries and organizations is meeting in Jakarta and has backed the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Fayyad attended. The conference was opened by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose country is the most populous Muslim nation in the world.
"The international community must work together in concert to realize the goal of an independent, viable Palestinian state in the very near future," he said. He praised Arabs for their "courageous struggle" against Israel, which he charged is violating their human rights.