The "Declaration of Alicante” is the product of a meeting headed by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, with participants from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Turkey, Algeria, France, Tunisia and Libya. There were no representatives at the meeting from Israel or from the Palestinian Authority.
"The time has come for a new effort aimed at solving the problems that lie at the heart of the Middle East crisis," the declaration stated. "The Middle East is facing its worst crisis in years following the war in Lebanon and ongoing violence in the occupied territories. The existing international peace plans and initiatives on the Middle East have reached a state of stagnation, with far-reaching consequences in a wider region fueling new challenges to global peace and security."
In addition, the declaration maintained that the U.S. Road Map governing Israeli-P.A. relations is in need of "urgent attention." It called for "the convening of an international conference, aimed at demonstrating political commitment to the renewed multilateral peace process as well as the active support from neighboring countries, regional organizations and third parties."
Moratinos explained that the declaration called for a revision, not a complete rejection of the Road Map, which he himself had helped author. Moratinos said he planned to forward the declaration to the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia for review.
"I can say with absolute conviction that you will see many of these proposals become reality. It is not just another proposal from a regional diplomatic meeting but rather something that will have an impact," Moratinos said at a press conference following the meeting.
"The time has come for a new effort aimed at solving the problems that lie at the heart of the Middle East crisis," the declaration stated. "The Middle East is facing its worst crisis in years following the war in Lebanon and ongoing violence in the occupied territories. The existing international peace plans and initiatives on the Middle East have reached a state of stagnation, with far-reaching consequences in a wider region fueling new challenges to global peace and security."
In addition, the declaration maintained that the U.S. Road Map governing Israeli-P.A. relations is in need of "urgent attention." It called for "the convening of an international conference, aimed at demonstrating political commitment to the renewed multilateral peace process as well as the active support from neighboring countries, regional organizations and third parties."
Moratinos explained that the declaration called for a revision, not a complete rejection of the Road Map, which he himself had helped author. Moratinos said he planned to forward the declaration to the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia for review.
"I can say with absolute conviction that you will see many of these proposals become reality. It is not just another proposal from a regional diplomatic meeting but rather something that will have an impact," Moratinos said at a press conference following the meeting.