8 July 2007…. Upon the instructions of Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Ambassador Fatma El Zahraa Etman, headed the Egyptian delegation in the senior officials meetings of the Barcelona Process member states, and the Euro–Mediterranean Committee, which were held in Brussels during the period from 4 till 6 July 2007. The "political dialogue" issue topped the discussions, where the head of the Egyptian delegation delivered a statement on behalf of the Arab group which focused on the current situation in light of the recent developments in Gaza Strip, shedding light on the content of the Arab League Council resolution on 15 June 2007. The resolution had included affirmation regarding the Palestinian legitimacy embodied by the Palestinian Liberation Organization, headed by Mahmoud Abbas. The Assistant Minister also highlighted the consequences of freezing the peace process on increasing tension among the Palestinian factions, which contributed to aggravating the situation. The statement also included the outcomes of the Quartet Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, which affirmed the importance of launching the peace process, and reiterated Egypt's call for Palestinian-Palestinian reconciliation, pointing out that the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the West Bank a few days after the Summit raises doubts concerning the Israeli Prime Minister's commitment towards the pledges he announced. The statement also condemned attempts to sustain separation between the West Bank and Gaza in order to terminate the Palestinian cause, and warned that this would aggravate extremism and radicalism in the region, and would weaken security and stability in all countries of the area, including Israel. The statement also warned against the consequences of the deteriorating humanitarian situations in Gaza, asserting that it is crucial to launch the peace process and work on utilizing the new momentum achieved by the "Arab Peace Initiative" in light of the Riyadh Summit decisions. The senior officials meeting also tackled the preparations for the Euro–Mediterranean ministerial conferences scheduled to be held during the Portuguese presidency of the EU (Foreign Ministers/ Immigration/ Trade/ Economy and Finance/ Energy).