THE TANAISTE, Mr Spring had a 15 minute meeting with the Palestinian Authority president, Mr Yasser Arafat, during a two day meeting of European and Mediterranean foreign ministers in Malta, which ended yesterday.

Mr Spring also had discussions with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa, during which he raised the issue of Irish beef exports. Egypt has suspended its imports of live Irish cattle, a trade worth £54 million to Irish exporters in 1995. Frozen Irish beef, worth £32 million in 1995, is still imported.

"Mr Spring underlined the importance of the Egyptian market to Irish beef producers and stressed the very high veterinary standards that prevail within the Irish beef industry, said a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The statement also said that in his meeting with Mr Arafat, Mr Spring stressed his support for the EU's efforts to relaunch the Palestinian track of the Middle East peace process.

The bilateral meetings occurred on the fringes of the Euro Mediterranean Ministerial Conference, which brings together ministers from 27 EU, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and north African states. The EU ministers had separate meetings with Mr Arafat and the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr David Levy.

Mr Spring told the conference that he hoped it could become "a precursor of a lasting settlement in the Middle East". It provided "and encouragement and an incentive to all concerned with the central," conflict in the Mediterranean region".

He said conflicts in the region, had been nourished by "psychological and physical separation between the parties, and by ignorance and prejudice which such separation generates".

The confidence building measures being developed within the Euro Mediterranean dialogue were "the beginnings of an organised attack on the causes of conflict in the region".