Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Friday he hoped senior diplomats from 11 countries meeting to discuss the Middle East process would come up with «important initiatives» for peace in the Mediterranean region, AP reported. «I hope that tomorrow (Saturday) we can announce the Declaration of Alicante, a declaration that comes at an important moment for the future peace and stability of the Mediterranean basin,» Moratinos said at a welcoming ceremony at a medieval hilltop castle in this Spanish Mediterranean port city. Joining Moratinos at the annual informal gathering of the so-called Foromed group were counterparts from Egypt, Greece, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal and Turkey. Algeria, France and Tunisia sent state secretaries. Moratinos said he hoped the meeting would allow the diplomats «to reflect, debate and conclude with important initiatives.» There were no details as to what the initiatives might entail but the gathering comes after Moratinos said Tuesday he felt the «road map» for peace no longer provided the answers to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He urged the European Union to take the lead in pushing for a fresh approach.
