Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday called for renewed efforts to relaunch peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, dpa reported.
Spain will not spare efforts within the European Union to achieve that goal, a government communique quoted the premier as telling Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Madrid.
Zapatero also hailed the reconciliation agreement sealed by rival Palestinian movements in Cairo in May, and expressed confidence that the future Palestinian government would maintain the Palestinian Authority's current engagement in favour of peace.
Abbas and Zapatero stressed the good relations between Spain and the Palestinian Authority. The two hold frequent high-level meetings, and Spain is one of the main European donors to the Palestinian territories.
Spain, however, has not gone as far as to back Palestinian Authority plans to seek United Nations recognition as a nation state. Madrid will define its position on the basis of proposals that will be presented at the UN, Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez told Abbas on Tuesday.
The Palestinian president also met King Juan Carlos, opposition leader Mariano Rajoy and Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, Zapatero's Socialist Party's next candidate for prime minister.
Spain pledges to work for relaunch of Mideast peace talks
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday called for renewed efforts to relaunch peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
