CAIRO: The Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Israeli Danny Ayalon succeeded in getting a diplomatic handshake from the former Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Turki al-Faisal during a conference on security and stability in the Middle East that was held at the Security Forum in Munich, Germany.

Saudi Arabia and Israel do not maintain any kind of diplomatic ties and both Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davut Oglu and Faisal insisted on not participating in the conference with Ayalon, where the conference was scheduled to bring together speakers from Turkey, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel and Russia. The organizers were forced to organize two separate seminars.

Oglu, Faisal and Egyptian spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hossam Zaki participated in the first seminar, while Ayalon, member the U.S. Congress Joseph Lieberman participated in the second seminar. However, Faisal was present to the ranks of the attendance of the second seminar as well.

Ayalon showed surprised at the start of the seminar “because of Faisal’s insistence on not participating in the same seminar with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister,” Ayalon said. “I’m really sorry to say I could not come to the previous meeting because I also understand that representatives of certain state’s that own a lot of oil did not want to attend in our presence.”

But the Saudi prince, who was an ambassador to both London and Washington, spoke to explain his position, saying that he did “not object to the presence of Ayalon at the podium,” noting that “if there was any objection to his presence, it is not because of the Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister, but perhaps because of his provocative behavior towards the Turkish ambassador in Israel.”

Ayalon called on the Saudi Prince to shake his hand, and wondered whether the Saudi prince would do so. He said to Prince Faisal “if you find it difficult to step up here, I’m ready to go to you and shake your hand.” Faisal stepped up and in turn, shook hands with Ayalon.

In a related development, the Israeli media described the statements of Ayalon as a “success” in pushing for shaking hands with the Saudi Prince publicly, and said that the Israeli official “deliberately embarrassed Faisal,” although the latter tried to avoid participating in the seminar.

Ha’aretz noted that Ayalon “intentionally,” at the beginning of the seminar participation, embarrassed Faisal saying : “organizing two separate seminars is a reflection of the conflict in the Middle East. Arabs are not ready to sit with us and recognize us and talk to us,” pointing out that Senator Lieberman commented saying, “I’m disappointed by the Saudis.”

BM

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