Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riad al-Maliki said Thursday that Palestine was willing and ready to engage in peace process with the Zionist entity if it could show more of readiness in the process.

Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riad al-Maliki said Thursday that Palestine was willing and ready to engage in peace process with the Zionist entity if it could show more of readiness in the process.

Al-Maliki made the remarks at a press conference after the first meeting of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestine Development (CEAPAD) in Tokyo.

He said Palestine has been "very much willing and ready to engage into peace process with Israel," but emphasized that the process depends on the attitude of the Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We expected that he (Netanyahu) will show more of readiness to re-engage into the process," he said.

Al-Maliki also said he expected the Middle East trip by U.S. President Barack Obama and a potential one by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and hoped the "important visits" could show their willingness to recommit themselves to see if there is any possibility to restart the peace process.

Obama will pay his visit to the Occupied Territories, West Bank and Jordan late next month on regional issues, while Kerry also vowed after he became U.S. top diplomat that he will push forward the peace process between Palestine and the entity of occupation.

The CEAPAD, which is sponsored by Japan, aims at coordinating cooperation between East Asian countries to support Palestine development in economic and financial areas.

The second CEAPAD meeting will be held in Indonesia next year.