Spaanse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken ziet goede kansen voor hervatting vredesonderhandelingen Midden-Oosten (en)

Syria's president Bashar Assad with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, in Damascus on February the third. EFE

According to the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, speaking in Brussels after his Middle East tour, the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians could recommence as soon as next week.

The Spanish minister visited Israel, the Palestinian territories and Syria. It was the Spanish head of diplomacy's first visit to the region since Spain assumed the Presidency-in-turn of the EU.

One of the Spanish Presidency's priorities is to continue its support, particularly within the Quartet, for the resumption of peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, with a view to achieving a comprehensive, fair and long-lasting solution to the conflict.

'My personal feeling is that talks between Israelis and Palestinians will begin again very soon', the minister said, addressing the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, and he went on to say that negotiations could possibly resume as soon as next week.

He also referred to the need to bring about the appropriate conditions for Syria to return to the negotiating table, as well as the importance of reactivating the peace process in the face of the challenge posed to the international community by Iran.

In this respect he said 'there is growing consensus within the Council regarding possible future sanctions against Iran', adding that if no progress is made the EU must be prepared to apply them. 'We need to maintain diplomatic pressure to make it (Iran) come back to the negotiating table' and 'prevent the regional disaster that would be implied by a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran'.