EU, Arab League Foreign Ministers meet in Brussels

Seven Arab League Foreign Ministers including the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Jordan and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa were, for the first time, invited to the General Affairs and External Relations Council of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels to discuss the Arab Peace Initiative.

Malta has been advocating closer relations between the EU and the Arab League. The island is also proposing a meeting of Foreign Ministers from both sides to discuss various issues.

These include development, energy security, climate change, reform and the situation in the Middle East in an effort to further the politics of moderation. The Malta initiative will be on the GAERC agenda in the meeting next month.

Yesterday's meeting focussed on the Arab Peace initiative but the participants referred to their interest to engage together on other matters in further meetings.

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, speaking in Maltese, told the Arab League Ministers and Secretary General that they were to take with them the message that the EU is ready to engage with them on issues of common interest and concern in an agenda wider than that discussed today.

"We are neighbours, or at most neighbours of neighbours, and it is imperative that we work together," Minister Frendo emphasised.

The EU, he stated, has always welcomed the Arab Peace initiative and the way has to be found to proceed, creating the right framework for the parties on the ground to engage together and seek a comprehensive solution.

Dr Frendo said: "We are for the politics of moderation and should not allow space for extremism.

"These politics of moderation should be the fulcrum of all our action.

However, for the politics of moderation to prevail we need to provide them with successes so that people can reap the dividend of moderation".

After the meeting Fr Frendo had a bilateral meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu-Amr whom he invited to visit Malta.