Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh al Maliki welcomed the first remarks made by his Canadian counterpart Stephane Dion who asserted that his country would resume its "neutral" mediation role in the Middle East region through improving relations with the countries of the region and ending the policy of the former government's bias to Israel.

In a statement released by the Palestinian News Agency, Maliki asserted that his country is fully ready to start dialogue with Canada to assess bilateral relations and propel them towards more cooperation in all fields.

Maliki also said he will direct an official invitation to his Canadian counterpart to visit Palestine soon.

The just sworn-in Stephan Dion has promised that his ministry will return to the role of ‘honest broker’ vis a vis Israel.”

Dion also called for strengthening relations with other regional partners as well, mentioning Lebanon specifically.

Source: MENA