Foreign Minister George Yeo will make a four-day visit to Israel from 28th April at the invitation of his Israeli counterpart and Vice Prime Minister Tzipi Livni.

During the visit, Mr Yeo will call on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and meet Vice Premier Shimon Peres, as well as Israeli Ministers for Trade and Industry, and National Infrastructure.

Singapore and Israel are poised to sign an Agreement on Cooperation in Culture, Education and Science, which seeks to deepen relations between the two countries.

The pact will also spur greater collaboration in the fields of culture, media exchange and sports development.

After Israel, Minister Yeo will visit the Palestinian National Authority's headquarters in Ramallah on 1st May 2007.

There he will call on the Authority's President, Mahmoud Abbas and Deputy Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmad, and meet with Foreign Minister Dr Ziad Abu-Amr.

In conjunction with this trip, IE Singapore will also organise its first business mission to Israel to explore investment opportunities.

Some 12 Singapore companies from the precision engineering, InfoComm technology and communication sectors are expected to link up with Israeli firms at a business seminar.

Rounding up his visit, Minister Yeo will address businesses from both countries during a networking dinner. - CNA/ch