Valletta, Malta - European Union and Arab League foreign ministers ended their meeting Tuesday in Malta with a commitment to set up a joint task force to follow key areas, including the Middle-East conflict, cultural dialogue and climate change. Delegates issued a final communique which referred to the situation in Lebanon and denounced attempts to undermine stability in the area.
The two-day meeting - the first of its kind between the two blocs -was "very positive", Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said at the concluding news conference.
"We came here with very low expectations but are leaving with a very optimistic outlook about future cooperation," Al-Faisal said.
The creation of a follow-up mechanism - proposed by Saudi Arabia which currently holds the Arab League's rotating Presidency - was taken up by EU Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who said she would commit a dedicated team.
The task force together with counterparts from the Arab League's Secretariat, is set to draw up in detail specific cooperation measures between the two blocs.
In all, the meeting brought together representatives of 48 states -the 27 EU states and the 22 Arab League members.
