Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-26-Speech-3-084"
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"en.20050126.7.3-084"2
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".
Mr President, let me start by expressing my appreciation for the energy, time and involvement which the High Representative has invested over the past few years in keeping the fire burning. The fire is a very small fire of hope. Hope that, despite all the setbacks, a solution can still be found in the Middle East, in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, because, let us be honest, we have, over the years, held many debates in this forum, adopted a host of resolutions full of good intentions, but, in all honesty, I think that there were many people, myself included, who considered this to be a lost cause for which a solution could never be found. It now looks as if this hopelessness has ended, or the end is in sight anyway.
President Arafat was succeeded by Mr Abbas, a president who is not only prepared to make sound pledges, but is also prepared to take courageous steps. The Sharon Government is made up of parties who all agree on one thing, namely withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. I realise that where the Middle East is concerned, over-optimism is always misplaced, because all it takes is one bomb attack for the momentum to be lost. Nevertheless, I think that the clearing of the Gaza Strip offers a unique opportunity, the best opportunity in years, to break the mood of cynicism and scepticism and finally to take a step forward. That does mean, however, that the role of the European Union must also change. The European Union must switch from fine, general statements to very concrete and specific aid in the clearing operations, in order to ensure that these run smoothly. What does that mean according to the European Parliament and also my group? Those clearing operations can only be carried out in consultation between Israel and the Palestinians in the presence of an international observation mission.
What can the European Union do exactly, and what is it prepared to do? In a consultation with Foreign Affairs Ministers in November 2004, the High Representative repeated the Council’s decision from March 2004. The European Union supports the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, provided that five conditions are met. It must form part of the roadmap, it must be a step towards a two-state solution. So far, so good, I think, but Israel should not use the clearing of the Gaza Strip to create new settlements on the West Bank or to extend old settlements. The transfer must be done in consultation with the Palestinian Authority and Israel must help reconstruct the Gaza Strip. That is, of course, where the problems lie. Hence my question to the High Representative. Are, according to him, those conditions currently being met or is there a chance that they may be met in the short term? If not, what will the European Union do to ensure that those conditions are met and, if they are not met, what will the European Union do then? Will we walk away? I hope not but, if we are serious, then we must try to meet our own conditions.
Okay, let us be optimistic, because a good dose of optimism is called for where this issue is concerned, and let us assume that the conditions are met. What concrete measures will the EU then take? Once again, we should now move away from fine statements and make way for concrete proposals. Will we, for example, help send an observation mission? This is included in all the plans, but will the EU take part in this? What exactly will we do together with the United States? Will we mediate? Is there a request from Israel, or one from the Palestinians? Will we fund the reconstruction? Not in general, but very specifically – if you visit the Gaza Strip, you know what is damaged and what should be restored – are there plans to that effect? Once again, Mr President, High Representative, Commissioner, the clearing of the Gaza Strip offers a golden opportunity to move forward. If we miss this opportunity, if things go wrong in the Gaza Strip, then I fear that we may be picking up the pieces for a very long time."@en1
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