CAIRO – Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero acknowledged on Tuesday the lack of any recent progress in the Middle East peace process but said that neither has it been abandoned, and so urged that “expectations” be maintained and made a commitment to keep working for dialogue.

Zapatero made the statement at a joint press conference in Cairo with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, who presided over their countries’ first bilateral high-level meeting.

When Zapatero visited Israel and the West Bank last month, he expressed optimism about the chances of reactivating negotiations, but after his trip Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he would not run for re-election and the Israelis did not accept the U.S. plea to freeze settlement activity in the occupied territories.

“Since my trip there has been no progress, but I would say that neither has there been any serious retreat. We have to maintain our expectations, we have to work at it,” said the Spanish premier, who has frequently promised to give his all to the process during Madrid’s six-month turn in the European Union presidency, which begins in January.

He also said he hoped for progress so that Egypt might obtain a closer association with the European Union, a matter that will be dealt with at a summit to be organized by Spain during its six-month presidency.

Zapatero praised Egypt as “a great regional and international power” that belongs to the G-20 and is “decisive” for the stability and progress of the Mediterranean and for building peace and security in the Middle East.

“Given the importance of a country like Egypt, it’s fundamental that another power like Spain should have much more intense relations with it in the political and economic spheres,” he said.

That was why Spain’s foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos; development minister, Jose Blanco; along with several senior sub-Cabinet officials, all participated in this first high-level meeting.

The two governments studied the possibilities of increasing economic cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, transportation, energy and food security.

Zapatero said that Spain is financing viability studies for a new Suez Canal tunnel, as well as a for a possible high-speed rail line connecting the Nile with the Red Sea.

Nazif also stressed the possibility of collaboration in the energy field. Egypt exports natural gas to Spain and wants to cooperate in the renewable-energy sector.

The prime minister stressed Spain’s proximity to the Arab world and also thanked Zapatero for Madrid’s financial and technological aid for his country’s development. EFE