BEIJING - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday urged Israel and Palestine to stay on the path of peace talks and take constructive moves to advance their stalled peace talks.

Wen made the appeal in a message to the Conference in Commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which was held Monday at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

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Offering warm congratulations for the event on behalf of the Chinese government, Wen stressed that the Palestinian issue is at the core of the Middle East issue.

The Chinese government has all along firmly supported the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, and the efforts to continuously push the Middle East peace process forward, Wen said.

The talks between Israel and Palestine have now reached a pivotal stage, he said, voicing the hope that both sides will stay on the track, take positive and constructive efforts, avoid any disturbance of the talks, cooperate with international mediation efforts, and constantly promote the negotiation process.

He expressed the hope that on the basis of related UN resolutions and the "land-for-peace" principle, an independent Palestinian State with full sovereignty will be established and the peaceful coexistence of Israel and the Palestinian State will be achieved.

An early settlement of the Palestinian issue is the expectation shared by all Middle East countries and peoples and the international community, Wen said.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will as always support the United Nations in playing a vital role on the Middle East issue, he said.

He added that China, along with the international community, will continue to make unremitting efforts to seek a just solution to the Palestinian issue and promote peace, stability and development in the Middle East.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 1977 designating November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On that day in 1947, the assembly passed a resolution on the partition of Palestine.

Each year, the assembly's Committee on the Exercise of Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People holds a special meeting in observance of the Day of Solidarity.