Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-05-Speech-2-015"
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"en.20000905.2.2-015"2
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"Madam President, since the creation of the State of Israel, we have surely never been so close to a lasting and stable peace agreement in the Middle East. The differences between the parties, however, have probably never been so profound.
The withdrawal of the Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, the will demonstrated by the new Syrian President and the clear progress made at Camp David – as has been mentioned here this morning – seem to offer us a panorama in which peace is actually within reach. However, there are still potential pitfalls, which remind us that, we are as close to taking advantage of this historic opportunity as we are to the black storm clouds that will descend upon the region should the negotiations fail.
What we can we in the European Union do? Of course we offer our services by means of the European Union’s special envoy, Ambassador Moratinos, whom I welcome. We undoubtedly offer a guarantee in terms of the future economic development of the region, which would no doubt result from the peace agreement, through our cooperation and investment, as Commissioner Patten has correctly reminded us. We encourage the opposing parties to persist courageously with the negotiations, ignoring the most pessimistic, sometimes threatening, voices, which sometimes emerge from their respective countries.
We are grateful for the summary of the facts, the information communicated to us this morning by the Council and the Commission, and their good will. However, we should ask ourselves whether this is worthy of the responsibility and aspirations of the European Union on an international level.
To speak with one voice, to aspire to a leading role not only economically but also, surely, politically, demands more of us. No group is offering greater support than the European People’s Party to the governments promoting the peace process, especially to the United States. No group is forcing itself to act with greater prudence than we are at this critical moment.
From this point of view we propose that next year, when we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Conference which gave rise to this peace process, the European Union should once again bring together, in a repeat of the Madrid meeting, the leaders who participated in that Conference. Meanwhile, we should reaffirm the European Union’s full commitment to the peace process and our willingness to honour our historic, economic and also political responsibilities in the region."@en1
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