Brussels, 06/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - Mr Javier Solana, EU High Representative for Common Policy and Security Policy met the Tunisian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Habib Ben Yahia on Thursday morning to discuss the situation in the Middle East. European sources have disclosed that Mr Solana provided Mr Ben Yahia with an account of his recent visit to the region and expressed hope that a meeting between Yasser Arafat and Shimon Peres would shortly take place. The Minister for Foreign Affairs informed Mr Solana of his country's position on the issue as well as the positions held by other Arab League nations. He also outlined the objective of the Special Meeting for Arab Foreign Ministers, taking place in Cairo next weekend. He explained to the "Europe" bulletin how Tunisia appreciated the efforts taken by the EU and Mr Solana in particular, to bring a speedy halt, with the different concerned parties, to a situation that gets worse each day. Mr Solana and Mr Ben Yahia briefly discussed the political situation in the Maghreb countries as well as developments in the Barcelona Process and EU-Tunisia bilateral relations.