Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-29-Speech-4-019"
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"en.20070329.5.4-019"2
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".
Mr President, Mr Solana, I shall confine myself to a single subject, but one that is of vital importance: the Middle East.
Even a few weeks ago, there was reason to fear the worst, given the complete political deadlock over an occupation that had become intolerable for the Palestinian people and given the looming prospect of civil war. This appalling danger was averted, not – I am sorry to say – through the efforts of the international community, including the European Union. Instead, the embargo decided on by the Quartet only caused the victims further distress and stirred up the extremists.
The fact is, we owe the unexpected gleam of hope to the authors of the prisoners’ document, in particular Marouane Barghouti, to – as you have said - the tireless efforts of President Mahmoud Abas, to the concerted action of all the Palestinian democratic forces and in addition – as you have also said – to the renewed diplomatic initiatives taken by the Arab countries. The outcome is there to be seen. The Mecca agreement has opened the way to setting up the government of national unity.
Moreover, an eminent representative of these democratic forces, who is now a minister in this government – Mr Bassam al Salhi, General Secretary of the Palestinian People’s Party – is right now doing us the honour of visiting the European Parliament. He is following our debates from the gallery, and I should like to greet him and, through him, the whole of this government of unity.
This government agreement was made on the basis of wide-ranging political commitments on the part of the government as a whole. These commitments, which reflect the conditions of the Quartet, unfortunately have no equivalents on the Israeli side.
In my - indeed, in our – opinion and, I think, in that of many of my fellow Members, it would be a serious mistake, Mr Solana, not to seize this opportunity to foster renewed hope. We therefore call on the European Union to resume giving direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, to recognise the new government of national unity and, from its position within the Quartet, to argue in favour of such recognition.
This request is at the heart of an appeal by Members of the European Parliament, the initial signatories to which represent a very broad political spectrum and in many cases assume sizeable responsibilities in relation to what is at stake in the Middle East.
In the hope, Mr Solana, that, following the adoption of the Berlin Declaration, the 27 will be keen to give practical expression to their ambition to constitute a world player in the service of peace, I have the honour of straightaway forwarding to you the text of this appeal."@en1
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