Riyadh, July 18, SPA -- Secretary General of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdurrahman Hammed Al-Attiyah expressed hope Wednesday that the call of US President George W.Bush to convene an international conference on the Middle East will be a beginning of a new phase of serious dealing with key issues of the long-lived Arab-Israeli conflict. "The unresolved conflict is the outcome of the Israeli politics which resort to procrastination and tergiversation to hinder any peaceful efforts that may lead to peace, security and stability in the Region, " Al Attiyah said in a press statement issued in Riyadh earlier today. The Secretary General pointed out in this context to the importance of Washington to play a fair and balanced role. "The Israeli 1967 occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories should be brought to an end if Washington wants the new efforts and conference to be successful. In addition, there is a dire need for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the termination of past tensions and conflicts in the Middle East, Al-Attiyah noted. He reiterated the necessity of setting a time-frame to reach the expected goals of the conference. "A clear and well-defined time-table was ignored in the past, resulting in the engagement of fruitless efforts." Al-Attiyah also reaffirmed that the Arab initiative decided in 2002 and adopted at Riyadh Summit "is the basis to reach peace, security and stability in the region."--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/468426