Brussels, 08/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, a French foreign affairs spokesman said the German, British, Spanish, French and Italian foreign ministers have answered, in a joint letter dated 5 July, that they welcomed the proposal made by their Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, to go to Gaza, and that they willingly accepted the invitation. This visit, the official source said, is due to be made in the next few weeks. The exact date of the visit is currently being discussed with the European capitals concerned and the Israeli government, in liaison with the Palestinian Authority. There is now a close link with Catherine Ashton, who will also be in the region before presenting her conclusions to the 27 EU foreign ministers in Council on 26 July, the same source said.
The spokesman specified that ministers had, in their letter, expressed their wish that this visit should provide an opportunity for observing on-the-ground implementation of measures recently adopted by the Israeli government in favour of lifting the Gaza blockade. They also hoped, he said, that the Palestinian Authority would also be involved - in a way still to be determined - in its capacity as lawful representative of the Palestinian people. The foreign ministers plan to complete their visit to Gaza with consultation with the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority in Israel and in the Palestinian territories, in order to recall their support for continued indirect talks and implementation of the Fayyad plan. (F.B./transl.jl)