The Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has undertaken as current President of the EU to promote Palestinian reconciliation and the resumption of talks between Israelis and Palestinians during the first half of the year.

This has been the main conclusion of the meeting held on Thursday in the Moncloa Palace between Zapatero and the Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayad, who has obtained the same guarantees in his preliminary meeting with the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos.

Zapatero and Fayad analysed the situation the Middle East is experiencing, the possibilities of breaking the deadlock in the peace process and the need to work with all of the actors in the region to bring the different Palestinian factions closer together.

According to Fayad, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, who governs on the West Bank, this region is undergoing a considerable economic recovery, but the Gaza Strip, ruled by Hamas, continues with serious problems.

In his opinion, it is essential that the European Union become involved in the area, to work in cooperation with the United States, which has strong relations with Israel.

Fayad has come to Madrid to take part in the yearly meeting held by the Palestinian ambassadors in Europe who have chosen Madrid this time due to the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.

Last Wednesday Mr. Zapatero appeared before the European Parliament to present the priorities of the Spanish Presidency, where he declared his hope that in the next six months there be progress made in reaching an agreement on the Middle East since “we know that peace in the Middle East is a necessary and basic condition for peace in other areas where terror and conflicts have spread driven by radicalism and ideological and religious fanaticism”.

The European Union will play its role, and will contribute to this process for resuming talks, he said and added “we are aware where the horizon is and what the conditions are, we know that one of these fundamental conditions is to acknowledge the Palestinian State”.