MADRID MIDDLE EAST PEACE CONFERENCE

An Arab-Israeli peace conference convened in Madrid, Spain, beginning on 30 October 1991 at the invitation of theUnited Statesand theUnion of Soviet Socialist Republicsin an attempt by U.S. secretary of stateJames Bakerto capitalize on changes in the Middle East strategic landscape resulting from the end of the firstPersian Gulf War(1991). The conference was an important step on the road to peace in that it involved direct, bilateral, public, and official peace negotiations between Israel and itsArabneighbors.

See alsoArab-Israeli Conflict.