Israel and the West African nation of Mauritania have signed a mutual recognition agreement, marking a first step toward the establishment of diplomatic ties.
Under the agreement, Israel and Mauritania, a member of the Arab League, will set up interest sections in the Spanish embassies located in both countries.
The agreement was signed during the course of a two-day meeting held here this week at which the foreign ministers from 11 Mediterranean countries, including Israel, met with their counterparts from the 15-member European Union.
Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat also attended the conference, where he was reportedly treated as a head of state. Libya was the only Mediterranean state not invited to the conference.
The two-day session, which focused on political and economic issues, concluded Tuesday with the issuing of a joint declaration calling for further political dialogue among all the states, increased E.U. assistance to its Mediterranean neighbors and cooperation to control illegal immigration, crime and drugs.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
