JERUSALEM, July 25 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday July 25th that Israel would like to launch serious discussions on the Arab peace initiative with "an open heart and an open head."
Olmert made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and his Jordanian counterpart Abdul Ilah Khatib.
"I would like it if, next time you visit, you bring with you more ministers from other Arab states in order to discuss the Arab initiative with us," Olmert was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz assaying.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, on behalf of the Arab League (AL), paid a "historic" visit to Israel Wednesday aimed to push forward the Arab peace initiative, which trades full recognition of Israel by all Arab states in exchange for a withdrawal to pre-1967 boundaries.
"We were invited as representatives of the Arab League in order to advance the Arab peace initiative. This is a time of opportunity," Abul Gheit said at a press conference.
During a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the two ministers said that they hoped for a positive response from Israel to the Arab peace proposal.
However, during the meeting with the two foreign ministers, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said that he rejected the Arab peace initiative.
The one-day visit by the two foreign ministers was seen as a "historic" step because it marked the first time the 22-member AL sent its representatives to Israel.
