Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-02-04-Speech-3-999"
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"en.20090204.7.3-999"2
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"− Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased and moved to welcome here today Mahmud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority. A very warm welcome to the European Parliament, Mr President.
We are calling for the peace negotiations to be resumed as soon as possible, as we are convinced that there cannot merely be a military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a political actor, we are now under obligation and have a responsibility to do everything we can to enable the people in the Middle East to live together in peace. A prerequisite for peace between Israel and Palestine is intra-Palestinian reconciliation. The European Parliament unreservedly supports the ongoing talks, led in particular by Egypt, to smooth the way to the formation of a Palestinian government of national consensus. Only this type of government will be in a position to ensure the required unity of the Palestinian people.
We urge and expect such a government to observe the fundamental principles of the peace process, to refrain from violence and to conduct peace negotiations with Israel with commitment. The European Union is prepared to work together with such a government.
The commitment of the new US President, Barack Obama, and the appointment of George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East are positive signs. The determination of the European Union – and I am pleased that the competent Commissioner, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, is with us here, together with her colleague – to place all of its political and economic weight in the balance as well as the political will of numerous Arab partners indicate that a resumption and successful conclusion of the peace process on the basis of the resolutions of the United Nations and the Arab peace initiative should be possible.
President Abbas, we are grateful to you for being here today, and I say this on behalf of the European Parliament, but more particularly for myself. We have a great deal of respect and recognition for what you are doing under the most difficult of circumstances. We trust you, because you are a man of mediation, reconciliation and therefore also of peace. We wish you success.
I now invite you to take the floor and give your message to the European Parliament. A very warm welcome to the European Parliament, President Mahmud Abbas.
We also invited the Israeli President, Shimon Peres. Unfortunately, due to Israel’s celebrations marking 60 years as a nation, the agreed appointment could not be kept. We hope that the visit by President Peres can take place soon.
Mr President, this is not the first time that you have visited the European Parliament. As I welcome you here in Strasbourg at an extremely difficult time for the Middle East and in particular for your people, the Palestinian people, I remember our last meeting in the Middle East, which took place almost two years ago – at the end of May 2007 – in Gaza. You received me at the official headquarters of the Palestinian National Authority. I will never forget our meeting, as the situation was extremely tense. At that time, you were leading delicate talks with the aim of rescuing the government of national unity, which you had formed with energy and foresight. Ten days later, an inglorious
regrettably put an end to these efforts.
Today, you have come direct from Cairo following a stopover in Paris to meet the French President. In the last few days, some very promising talks have been held in Cairo on the formation of a Palestinian Government of national consensus.
With regard to the tragedy in the Gaza Strip, it is not without concern that the European Parliament has observed the suffering of the Palestinian people. The European Parliament has not remained silent. We demanded an immediate ceasefire. We denounced the disproportionate response taken, not only by the armed forces of Hamas, but also by civilians and international humanitarian organisations. We also decided to denounce the provocations and the rocket fire by Hamas, which regrettably – and we denounce that – continued to be aimed at Israel despite the ceasefire. This has to stop.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to pay tribute to the staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for the exemplary courage and sacrifice with which they have carried out their task and with which they continue to do so. On behalf of the European Parliament, we thank these men and women of the United Nations most sincerely."@en1
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