The Egyptian foreign minister says the decision to put off a conference this month of Mediterranean nations was not Egypt's alone but a "collective" move by the Arab League.Ahmed Aboul Gheit says Arab states decided not to go ahead with the November 27 gathering because Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was to participate.
Aboul Gheit spoke on Monday. He denounced his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, for blaming Egypt for the snub. The Mediterranean Union is a group of 43 countries including the 27 European Union states, Israel and North African countries.
France hosted the group's first summit in 2008, when Arabs and Israel sat at the same table. Since then, Israel's government changed and the hardline Lieberman has been poorly received internationally.
Videos
Post your feedback
