Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-19-Speech-3-106"
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"en.20000119.5.3-106"2
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"Mr President, I want to thank Commissioner Patten for his detailed account. I should like to say that I agree with the tone which Galeote Quecedo’s speech set here. We in Parliament strongly support the Middle East peace process. It is, of course, a peace process which is finally under way. If we think of how the process was looking a year ago, the difference between then and now is like that between night and day, despite difficulties and delays.
I want to emphasise four points. First of all, the Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement contains, as everyone knows, a concrete timetable for the implementation of Israel’s commitments. This applies both to the interim agreement and to the Hebron and Wye Agreements. While the negotiations on the final peace settlement have begun, I think it is important to keep the two processes apart. A lack of progress in the final status negotiations should not jeopardise implementation of the three above-mentioned interim agreements. What we need to look out for in this context is how matters develop in connection with the harbours in Gaza, the northern transit route between Gaza and the West Bank, further releases of political prisoners and implementation of the financial commitments.
The second point relates to Syria. There, the border question is obviously central. How negotiations are proceeding there, we still do not know. What is important, however, is that they have begun. An important question in this context is the future distribution of water. As things are at present, the Golan Heights account for between a third and a sixth of Israel's water supply.
The third aspect is the peace negotiations in Syria which are closely linked to the issue of Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. According to UNIFIL, there are now concrete signs that Israel is preparing to withdraw, which is something we welcome. There too, of course, outstanding matters in dispute are the water problem and the situation of the Lebanese Palestinian refugees.
My last point concerns the future Palestinian State. This may be proclaimed in the course of this year, with or without Israel’s support. The Barak government has given to understand that it intends to conclude a peace agreement with a state as the other party. Even if negotiations are not completed by September of this year, there is nothing in the relevant treaties to prevent a Palestinian state from being proclaimed after that date. In this context, it is important for those of us who support the idea of a Palestinian state that the latter should be as Commissioner Patten said, namely a state subject to public control, and that it should be a democratic state. This is something to which we all want to contribute."@en1
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