Amman - A regional conference on security cooperation between Mediterranean and European countries opened in Amman Monday with the participation of 56 states.

The two-day meeting entitled "Regional Security: the Mediterranean as a Model" is sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Jordanian foreign ministry.

The meeting is designed to boost cooperation between OSCE and states in the region particularly in the sphere of combatting terrorism.

The discussions will also focus on military and political aspects pertaining to security and regional cooperation, the link between security and environment, human rights, tolerance and culture.

Opening the conference, Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir urged the international community to "shoulder its responsibilities" in implementing the resolutions of the Annapolis conference.

The conference, which convened in November 2007, envisaged the conclusion of a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians before the end of 2008.

Bashir said that the Palestinian Authority was invited to attend the security meeting as an observer. (dpa)