Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-10-Speech-3-114"
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"en.20071010.18.3-114"2
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"Mr President, two weeks ago I was in New York where there were many meetings of the international community on the question of Palestine. There was an important meeting of the Quartet, of which I am a permanent member as part of the EU delegation, and an Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting of the major donors to the Palestinians, in preparation for a pledging conference that will probably take place at the end of December, after the international meeting that is now being prepared.
The main conclusion for all of us, as the President-in-Office has already said, is that there is indeed a crucial opportunity for regional and international partners effectively to support the peace process. I must say that, knowing how difficult this is, I am at least cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a serious and substantive meeting being hosted by the US this November. I wish to thank those who have mentioned the contributions we have made, but let me also say that I have spoken out very clearly to our Arab partners, because it is those partners that have not yet contributed in the same way as we have. I have called on them emphatically to do the same for their Arab friends. We also stand ready to play our part in the future, and indeed we hope that this international meeting on the Middle East will be a next step towards having more ongoing, positive talks and hopefully, at the right moment, a Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel within secure borders.
I am well aware, of course, that the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip has become much more difficult. For instance, two projects in the sector of water and sanitation, financed by the Commission’s humanitarian office, have had to be suspended. The partners implementing those operations did not succeed in importing the necessary materials, because the importing of items such as spare parts for hospitals and water pumps has been banned.
The European Commission has not been idle in responding to this situation. On the contrary, humanitarian and emergency aid to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, has reached unprecedented levels. We also continue our support for the precious work of UNRWA in Gaza. Commissioner Michel has recently deployed new support through the World Food Programme in order to respond to the basic needs of the most vulnerable Palestinians. Our direct emergency support to low income and social hardship cases continues through the payment of social allowances. In September we disbursed allowances to 35 000 poor families in the West Bank and Gaza. This demonstrates the added value of the temporary international mechanism, which is able to operate efficiently throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. By September our fuel provision to the Gaza Strip had surpassed 90 million litres. That fuel provides 25%, or one quarter, of the electricity needs of the local population.
For those reasons, I requested the Quartet, at the latest meeting in New York, to extend this financial mechanism until December. Also in New York, at several meetings and with different interlocutors, I yet again pleaded on several occasions for progress on the access and movement agenda. We are very happy that Tony Blair is awarding close attention to this, as he wants there to be an economic possibility of development. This, of course, is not possible without freedom of movement and access, notwithstanding the justified security concerns of the Israeli Government. I believe that much more could and should be done, but that will require more political will than we have witnessed so far.
I also agree with Parliament that the closure of the Gaza crossings has dire implications for the livelihood of an already impoverished population, as well as for the required humanitarian response. The Karni crossing point has been closed for almost four months now, so our aid has to pass through Karem Shalom and Sufa. We only see this as a temporary arrangement, firstly because the facilities at those crossings are inadequate and result in extra handling costs – up to 40% of the cost of aid supplies – and secondly because restrictions on the equipment we want to get into Gaza create problems for our project work.
Having said that, our actions must also take into account the illegal takeover of the Gaza Strip. Our policy is consistent with the Quartet’s line and the position of the legitimate government of the Palestinian Authority, and we of course support President Mahmoud Abbas. On 23 September, we and other Quartet partners made our position quite clear. We expressed great concern over the continued closure of major crossing points. We agreed on the importance of continued emergency and humanitarian assistance without obstruction, and we called for the continued provision of essential services.
Allow me also to refer finally to the situation within the West Bank, which should not be forgotten. Despite recent announcements made by the Israeli authorities about the reduction of checkpoints, the reality on the ground is, unfortunately, quite different: things are getting worse. It is not only that the settlement policy and construction of the security barrier continue, but also that 48 new checkpoints have been installed, according to a recent report by OTCHA.
It is essential that we see progress in the access and movement agenda. Otherwise, the chances of a future sustainable Palestinian state are being undermined. Let me just add that already, with a view to the next Foreign Affairs Council, the preparations for the draft Council conclusions emphasise very clearly the dire situation in Gaza and underline the importance of uninterrupted emergency and humanitarian assistance without obstruction."@en1
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