Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-09-Speech-2-178"
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"en.20020409.8.2-178"2
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, this Parliament has requested with some haste, which is justified given the drama and speed of the events, an appearance by the Presidency to explain the European Union’s views on the crisis in the Middle East. The fact that I am doing so today, beside the High Representative, Mr Solana, and also Commissioner Patten, I believe is a good demonstration of the internal cohesion existing between us all.
As holder of the Presidency-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, Spain called a special European Union General Affairs Council on 3 April in Luxembourg, with a threefold objective: to coordinate the actions of the Member States of the Union, to express the concern of the Presidency of the Union at the events and its will not to remain passive in an intolerable situation and to apply all the European Union’s political weight to an action intended to move beyond the current stalemate. As a result of this meeting, as you know, it was decided to send the Presidency and the High Representative, Mr Solana, to the region with the aim of meeting with the parties at the highest level, in order to demand an immediate ceasefire, the application of United Nations Resolutions 1397 and 1402 and the return to negotiations on a political agreement.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s opposition to the European delegation meeting President Arafat has unfortunately limited the scope of the mission, the absolute necessity of which the Presidency was and remains convinced of. It is also convinced that the speech by President Bush last Thursday was a further attempt to redefine the conflict and seek a short-term solution.
The European Union believes that subsequent steps must be directed towards the following objectives: the complete and immediate application of Security Council Resolution 1402; the urgent need for a real ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Palestinian cities, including the general headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, guaranteeing the safety and complete freedom of movement of President Arafat; the diplomatic efforts of the special envoys to the Middle East must not be hindered and in particular they must be guaranteed free access to President Arafat; the need for Israel’s legitimate right to combat terrorism to be exercised within the framework of international law and in particular international humanitarian law; the Palestinian Authority, whose operability must be guaranteed, must make all the necessary effort to prevent terrorist activities; the grave humanitarian situation in the territories demands that medical and humanitarian personnel and institutions must be able to carry out their activities freely.
I would finally like to stress – as the High Representative did previously – that tomorrow the Spanish Foreign Minister, Mr Piqué, as President-in-Office of the European Union, and the High Representative, Mr Solana, are going to meet in Madrid with the United States’ Secretary of State Powell, the Russian Federation’s Foreign Minister, Mr Ivanov, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, in order to analyse the situation and seek solutions to this crisis, in yet another effort by the Spanish Presidency to coordinate the efforts of the international community in this respect.
I would like to take this opportunity to say that the Presidency unreservedly supports the High Representative and the Commission and the excellent cohesion and cooperation existing between us all in order to confront this crisis. You will all agree with me that the situation in the Middle East is critical. The Palestinian territories are on the brink of a humanitarian disaster. The Palestinian Authority’s future is uncertain and the stability and security of the region are clearly in danger.
All attempts to relieve the crisis so far have failed and have not prevented the violence from increasing over recent weeks. A spiral of violence created by brutal Palestinian terrorist attacks and by resulting Israeli reprisals is leading to ever-greater suffering within both populations. We once again have to say that the conflict we are facing will not be resolved until the Palestinians are free from the 1967 occupation and the Israelis feel that they have peace and security; until the Israelis and the Palestinians can live in two States, with secure and internationally recognised borders.
Once again it is also necessary to insist that there can be no military solution to this conflict and that peace and security can only be achieved through negotiation. The international community and specifically the European Union have a responsibility and a role which cannot be ignored. It is also necessary that any intervention or initiative be rigorously coordinated, especially between the United Nations, the European Union and the main powers involved.
The Presidency of the Union has not been inactive over recent weeks. In the Barcelona Declaration of 16 March the European Union insisted on the need to deal with all aspects, both security aspects and political and economic aspects. The Declaration also reiterated the bases for a solution to the conflict, that is, Resolutions 242, 338 and 1397 of the United Nations Security Council and the principles of the Madrid and Oslo Conferences and subsequent agreements which would allow the two States, Israel and Palestine, to live in peace and security. As I said before, there is a double objective: the creation of a democratic, viable and independent Palestinian State, putting an end to the 1967 occupation, and guaranteeing that Israel has the right to live within secure borders, guaranteed by the commitment of the international community and the Arab countries in particular.
The latest phase of the current crisis practically coincided with the end of the Arab League Summit in Beirut. The Presidency of the Union, represented by the President of the Spanish Government, attended that summit in order to demonstrate the European Union’s interest in the whole process and with the aim of supporting the Saudi initiative, which would have implied the possibility of normalising relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to its 1967 borders, and a fair solution to the problem of the refugees, on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions. It was the first time a representative of the European Union has attended an Arab League Summit at the highest level.
The European Union has made constant efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian towns, the restoration of total freedom of movement for President Arafat, compliance with international law and the return to political negotiations. Furthermore, we have unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks, such as the attack in Netanya, and we have urged Mr Arafat to take all the necessary measures to prevent them.
Israel’s right to combat terrorism cannot restrict the operational capacity of President Arafat as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and of the Palestinian National Authority. The Union demands an end to the attacks on the general headquarters of the PNA in Ramallah and the immediate withdrawal from the city by the Israeli army. The Resolution of the Arab League Summit in Beirut forms a solid base for progress towards a political perspective for a just and global solution in the region and for the normalisation of relations between Israel and the Arab world. The diplomatic contacts of the Presidency at all political levels with the other European capitals, with all the Arab countries of the region, as well as the United States and Russia, are attempting to impose the necessary coordination between all international players in order to end the conflict and begin resolving the crisis.
Recently, given the gravity of the situation, the Presidency of the Union summoned the Israeli Ambassador to communicate four points to him: firstly, there can be no military solution to the conflict; secondly, the Israeli troops must withdraw from Palestinian towns as laid down in Resolution 1402, which must be applied immediately, and the siege of President Arafat must end; thirdly, Israel must allow the special envoys to carry out their diplomatic mission and have free access to President Arafat; fourthly, Israel must guarantee free access by the European Union’s diplomatic and consular representatives to their nationals, as well as guaranteeing that they can carry out their normal diplomatic and consular duties."@en1
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