Brussels, 28/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - “It is essential that Europe, the largest donor in favour of the Palestinians, and the Union for the Mediterranean, which is affected by this conflict, must now take part in the political process”, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was speaking at a joint press conference with the Palestinian president on Monday 27 September. He gave an account of their talks in Paris, on the day following Israel's announcement that it would be resuming settlement building. “I therefore wish to use the next few days to best advantage in order to discuss this central issue of the method of negotiation with all stakeholders, the members of the Quartet, our Union for the Mediterranean partners and our European Union partners”, he said.
Saying that “lessons must be learned from past endeavours” the French president called for “substantial negotiation to be effectively reactivated”. He gave his own assessment of work done in the past, saying: “We alternate between deadlock and attempts to rekindle talks. No one is being criticised here. I would like, moreover, to pay tribute to the considerable work done by President Barack Obama to reactivate the process. However, I note that, ten years after Camp David, we have made no headway and may even have backpedalled in our attempts to resume dialogue”.
“President Mahmoud Abbas and I feel that a mechanism to accompany negotiation is cruelly lacking”, Sarkozy said, underlining that the Quartet and also the EU and UfM must work together. “We have spoken of this together. We shall make proposals together as a guarantee for these discussions”, he added, saying: “We have decided to prepare the UfM summit at the end of November as well as possible. With President Mahmoud Abbas, we agree that this must be held whatever happens. On this issue, we shall take initiatives and I can tell you that President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to meet in Paris during October, together with the other UfM president, Hosni Moubarak”.
“This meeting will be held before the end of October to prepare the UfM summit at the end of November. In the meantime, France calls on each and everyone to show proof of responsibility, and to refrain from making gestures or from decisions that would further restrict the chances of keeping the negotiation process in place. I know that this is Mahmoud Abbas' intention. And, along the same lines, I have seen the statements by Netanyahu calling for settlement building to be limited. These declarations are along the right lines, albeit insufficient. It is in these difficult moments, when we must all seek to try and rescue the peace process, that France and President Mahmoud Abbas have decided to take initiatives”, Sarkozy concluded. (F.B./transl.jl)