Brussels, 25/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 25 January, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton called for “exploratory talk” between the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Jordan to continue, with the most recent meeting taking place that same day.
Catherine Ashton, who is “realistic” about the current situation, said in Gaza that she firmly believes they must ensure that these discussions continue and increase their potential to become true negotiations. “We are therefore looking at what we can do to help, but at the end of the day, this is a discussion which should be held between the two parties”, she added.
Following a meeting with the Israeli Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, on Tuesday 24 January, Ashton pointed out that Israel's future is linked to “finding a way the Palestinians can live side-by-side with the Israeli people with a solution to bring peace and security to all”.
In Gaza, Ashton pleaded for the Israeli blockade to be relaxed, whilst stressing that the situation would not improve until negotiations resume. “We want Gaza's economy to develop and for the population to be able to invest in the future of the country, but this will call for serious talks to take place”, she explained.
However, a Palestinian figure close to the discussions confirmed that “a final exploratory meeting” took place on Wednesday 25 January, and “there will be no extension of these meetings after this day”. On 26 October, the Quartet called on Israelis and Palestinians to present their positions on the plotting of the borders and security within three months. But although the Palestinians consider that the cut-off point for this is 26 January 2012, the Israelis are waiting for 3 April, which is three months after the first exploratory meeting in Jordan.
“The plan was that these negotiations would start after these exploratory meetings and once both sides had presented their vision of a solution”, the Palestinian figure explained. “We have presented what was asked of us, but the Israeli government has not put forward its vision of a solution”, he added, explaining that he hoped the Israeli government would present its position at the meeting of 25 January. (CG/transl.fl)