A 'Marshall Plan' for the Palestinian economy will be one of the priorities of Italy's term at the helm of the Group of Eight this year, Premier Silvio Berlusconi told an international donors' conference for the reconstruction of Gaza here.
''There can be no real peace between two peoples divided by such different living standards,'' he said, urging leaders from 70 countries to help raise Palestinian living standards.
Berlusconi reiterated that major hotel groups and top multinationals had been contacted with a view to building infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, including airports to boost tourism to the Holy land.
The Italian premier also proposed a connection between the Dead Sea, whose level is dropping, and the Black Sea, to expand arable land and provide energy.
He offered the Sicilian town of Erice as a venue for peace talks that would reaffirm a two-state solution.
Before the opening session of the conference, Berlusconi met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and had a working breakfast with leaders including United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and host Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.
