Arab ministers interested in relations with Israel
Foreign ministers of seven Arab countries issue joint statement following Madrid conference, expressing desire to 'advance together toward recognition and normalization of relations with Israel'
The conference was attended by 19 members of the Arab League, including the foreign ministers of Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
Group photo: Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos, Spanish Queen Sofia, Spanish King Juan Carlos and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (Photo: Reuters)
In the statement, the officials expressed their hope that the Mecca agreement signed between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah would lead to the establishment of a national unity government in the Palestinian Authority, "which could contribute to finding a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Moratinos said that the agreement expressed in the joint statement reemphasized the vision expressed in the 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut, but that in the meantime Israel pulled out from the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian official Nabil Shaath called on the West to stop the boycott on the Hamas-led government, which he called "unfair and illegal" and harming peace efforts.
At the start of the conference, Moratinos called for an end to negative perceptions diving the West and the Arab world and contributing to the creation of Islamophobia and anti-Western feelings.
He said that he country wanted to work together with the European Union in order to enable a Palestinian government to be a partner for a dialogue with the international community.
