Oman was one of the first states in the Persian Gulf to establish a trade office in Israel following the beginning of the peace process. A number of Israeli high-level officials visited Oman, which was also the venue of some of the multilateral talks. On 6 January, shortly after Israel and Syria began their round of talks in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, two senior Omani foreign ministry officials held talks in Jerusalem. Text:
Deputy Director-General Mushtaq Abdallah al-Saleh, of the Omani Foreign Ministry, and Omani diplomat Ali Kathiri are presently visiting Israel. The two emissaries arrived in Israel for the purpose of carrying out discussions at the Israel Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, to evaluate the condition of the Omani Trade Office in Tel Aviv, and to assess the entire range of Oman's relations with Israel.
This morning (6 January), the two visitors met with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Nawaf Massalha and with Foreign Ministry Director-General Eytan Bentsur.
The Deputy Foreign Minister briefed the two guests on the latest developments in the peace process, fully agreeing with the Omani representatives that peace will benefit all the interested parties and that past hardships must be overcome, for the good of future generations. Deputy Minister Massalha asked the Omani guests to convey the greetings of The Government of Israel and its Foreign Ministry to the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos Bin Said, on the occasion of the Muslim observance of Id el Fitr, and accepted the invitation extended to him by the diplomats to visit the Omani capital of Muscat.
In the meeting with the Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General, Mr. Bentsur welcomed the diplomats' visit, and expressed Israel's expectation for a strengthening of ties between the two countries. Mr. Bentsur stressed Israel's hope that in the framework of these ties, there will be an exchange of commercial delegations, the launching of a political dialogue, and the eventual establishment of full diplomatic relations between the State of Israel and the Sultanate of Oman.