Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had telephonic conversations with Bahrain Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa and Moroccan Premier Driss Jettou, and briefed them on a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Israel in Istanbul on 1st September 2005, an official statement said. Aziz said that the first official contact with Israelis was taken after they had vacated Gaza, which Pakistan looked at as a significant initial step in the Middle East peace process. Pakistan believed that Kasuri-Shalom meeting would encourage the Israelis to take further positive steps for the resolution of the Middle East problem, the prime minister said. Reaffirming Pakistan's principled position on the Palestinian issue, the Prime Minister underlined that it remain unchanged and the recognition of Israel would be dependent on the establishment of a Palestinian State with al-Quds as its capital. The Bahraini and Moroccan Prime Ministers appreciated the briefing and Pakistan's position and concern in support of the Middle East cause, the statement said.
