Brussels, 10/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - “Something is happening on the diplomatic front. But what?” asks Israeli daily Haaretz two days after the announcement that three EU countries (France, United Kingdom ands Germany) are working on an initiative ahead of the next Quartet meeting (see yesterday's newsletter). Catherine Ashton told the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday that the time had come to move in line with the movements throughout the Arab world.
“With the region in upheaval, some have said that it is not the time to focus on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but I believe the opposite to be true”, said the EU high representative for foreign affairs, going on: “it is even more important to try to put an end to this conflict, as a key contribution towards a peaceful and stable region”. This feeling of the timeliness of the moment would appear to be shared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, Haaretz reports, wants to calm the atmosphere and reassure both the people of Israel and “friendly governments abroad which are applying pressure on him to bring forward a diplomatic plan”. He intends to speak to the heads of a number of important countries in the hope of winning their support for continued Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley in a future peace agreement with the Palestinians. Netanyahu believes it possible to get international backing for this, even though the Palestinians are totally against it. “It is important to get the support of the countries which matter, and it's possible”, he said.
Netanyahu's willingness to open up a channel of communication is, thus, the key element in this window of opportunity ahead of the next Quartet meeting. “The only viable choice is a negotiated outcome on all final status issues” on East Jerusalem, and, in this vein, she reminded the Parliament of the EU position, which is that settlements are “illegal” and “an obstacle to peace”.
Ashton used the opportunity to set out the procedure in place so that a solid base for negotiation can be laid, and the EU, the largest contributor to the Palestinians, should have a visible role to play. She, herself, will host the ad hoc liaison committee led by Norway and discussions are taking place on the possibility of a donor conference in June.
She rejected out of hand the idea that the EU is only a “payer, not a player”, a phrase she is “sick” of hearing. She argued that this is no more than a “travesty” of the role of the European Union, and she defended her own role: “I have worked really hard” to change this perception. She acknowledged, however, that “it does reflect historically some of the ways in which we perhaps were perceived”. In her speech, which extends to seven pages of writing (available on the European Parliament site), she strongly defended European external policy which has come in for general criticism. (F.B./transl.rt)