Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held talks with her Omani counterpart in Qatar Monday in what Israel hailed as the first such public meeting, but Oman's chief diplomat ruled out an immediate reopening of Israel's trade office in Muscat.
Livni also met Qatar's emir and prime minister, an aide said.
Oman's minister for foreign affairs Yusef bin Alawi bin Abdullah told AFP he did not agree with Israeli views on the peace process and there was no question of reopening the Israeli office until agreement is reached on a Palestinian state.
Livni gave bin Alawi "an update on the negotiations with the Palestinians" during the meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, another aide told AFP. The aide said "the second objective of the meeting was to discuss the role of the Arab world in the peace process."
"We do not agree with their (Israelis') opinions" on the peace negotiations, bin Alawi told AFP. He said the meeting was "not meant to have a result," but merely to enable him to hear what she has to say and the other way round.
Bin Alawi ruled out an unconditional reopening of Israel's trade office in Muscat, closed nearly eight years ago. "There is no room for opening it until agreement is reached on the establishment of a Palestinian state," he said.
Livni arrived in Doha on Sunday to attend a democracy forum.
