A second Madrid Conference would be useless

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said Sunday after his lengthy talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Joseph Pique that Egypt is willing to bolster the Spanish and European roles in efforts aimed to end the Middle East conflict and convince parties concerned to return to the negotiating table.

"Egyptian- Spanish ties are very good," he said, adding that contacts between the two countries were very active.

On the possibility of holding a "Madrid 2" conference, Moussa said such a move would be useless in light of the current conditions.

" It would be a mere opportunity for rhetoric and listening to speeches that cannot be accepted," he elaborated.

"The first Madrid conference established the principles of the peace process that collapsed ten years later because successive Israeli governments did not implement signed agreements," Moussa noted.

On Arab criticism of the European attitude towards the Middle East peace process. Moussa said, "We appreciate the Europe's policy and its attempt to play a role" in the conflict.

"The Arabs do not ask the Europeans to take their side, but rather to boost peace, condemn the use of force against the Palestinians and do something against the Israeli policy of settlements and provide protection for Palestinians who reel under occupation," he said.

"We call on the Europeans to stand against anything that impedes the peace process or end it" Moussa said.

The policy of the current Israeli government is mainly based on the use of force, Moussa added.

He expressed hope that Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres would respond to the Egyptian -Jordanian peace initiative.

On his part, Pique said the talks he held with the Egyptian side were very useful and important, adding that Spain is very concerned over the policies pursued by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"We are doing our best to restore negotiations with the aim of reaching a final, comprehensive and permanent peace," the Spanish Minister said.

Pique welcomed the Egyptian -Jordanian initiative, describing it as a "step in the right direction."

"Spain is considering the role of the EU as a whole, maintaining at the same time its attitude since the beginning of the peace process in 1992, "he said.

Spain also played a key role in developing the Barcelona process in 1995 by seeking to make the Mediterranean basin a secure and stable region, the Minister said, reaffirming that his country was willing to play a greater role after holding the EU's rotating presidency early in 2002.

Asked about the ineffectiveness of the European role in facing the current Israeli policy, Pique thought it was natural that the EU demand to play an important part in the Middle East peace process, adding the bloc was preparing to take its first steps aiming to forge a common foreign policy.

Europe already plays an active role with regard to providing aid for the Palestinians, he noted.

"The EU is calling on Israel to lift the economic siege imposed on the Palestinians, and release the money due to them," he said.