His planned tour itinerary includes Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories. The trip begins in Jordan, where García-Margallo is holding a meeting with King Abdallah II, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as holding a work meeting with Spanish businesspersons at the Spanish Ambassador’s residence in Amman. After this, the minister will be officially opening the new headquarters of the Spanish Embassy.

The minister will then travel to the Palestinian Territories, where meetings are planned with Prime Minister Hamdalah and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Malki. The minister will be received the day before by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Amman. On January 12, García-Margallo is signing the Record of the Mixed Commission for Cooperation, which includes the Spain-Palestine Country-Association Framework, and is meeting with various local Spanish residents. The next day, he will be travelling to the Gaza Strip, where he is holding a meeting with the General Commissioner of the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), who will accompany him on a trip through the neighborhoods most affected during the recent conflict, and along with whom he is visiting projects that have received financial support from Spain, including a center for displaced persons and a school run by UN personnel. 

The tour will end with a visit to Israel, where work meetings are planned with President Rivlin, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lieberman, as well as a meeting with representatives of Spanish companies.

This trip by Minister García-Margallo is taking place as Spain begins its two-year term as a Non-permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council, placing attention preferentially on the need to move forward on the resolution of conflict in the Middle East, at an especially delicate time due to the lack of negotiations between the parties. Spain’s involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which constitutes one of the traditional guidelines within our country’s foreign policy, fits fully within the first of the objectives of its recently approved Foreign Action Strategy: maintaining and promoting international peace and security. Likewise, Spain’s active mediation in the Middle East forms part of the plan to promote Spain’s candidacy for the UN Security Council, which has placed particular importance on the prevention of conflicts, understanding amongst cultures, mediation and disarmament, as well as promoting dialogue.

Spain has always defended the following guidelines for achieving the only possible fair and long-lasting solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict: the peaceful and safe co-existence of two states based on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as a shared capital; a secure state of Israel, and a viable, democratic Palestinian state.

Spain, within the EU and the UN Security Council, accepts its responsibility of working to resume peace negotiations. This trip by García-Margallo demonstrates Spain’s interest in achieving a stable, long-lasting solution for the region as soon as possible.