The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, were wary on Monday 17 June about the US peace plan for the Middle East, pointing out that an economic plan could not replace a political solution.
The economic component of the US plan is expected to be unveiled at the Manama conference in Bahrain, organised by the United States on June 25 and 26, without the Palestinians, who have decided to boycott it.
"We have made it clear (to our American friends) it is no mystery, that we would not engage in supporting any economic activity if the political framework in which this might happen is not clear” the High Representative told the press after the 13th EU-Jordan Association Council. "No economic plan is a substitute for a political solution. It can help to bring about peace, but first we must achieve that peace and, to do so, we must address the legitimate right of the Palestinian people on the basis of a two-state solution”, Mr Safadi added, recalling that the lack of economic growth and unemployment on the Palestinian side were not the reasons for the conflict, but that it was the conflict and Israeli occupation that were responsible for the Palestinian economic situation.
The EU - at the level of Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn - and Jordan were invited to participate in the Manama conference. According to the High Representative, the EU level of its representation, would probably be a technical one. The Jordanian minister said that his country had not yet decided whether or not it would be represented.
"To my understanding, the workshop in Manama is meant to present and explain the economic part of the plan in detail (...). So, we will go there to continue engaging in understanding of what is in it, without any commitment from our side to support it or participate in it", Ms Mogherini warned. The same for the Jordanian side. "If what is offered is something that we believe will create the peace we all seek (...), then we will be the first to encourage and support it. But if it doesn't, we will say 'no',", Mr Safadi said, adding that attending the meeting did not mean approving the plan. He added that the significance of the meeting should not be exaggerated either.
Asked about an EU financial contribution to the US plan, Ms Mogherini warned that "in the absence of details or of a general political framework, there is no intention and also no way for the European Union to commit to any such contribution". "For the European Union, contributing to a project is always based on a very concrete, detailed assessment of what the project is, in what kind of framework it happens, who is implementing it on the ground and so on. For the moment it seems to me that we are at the stage of the presentation of ideas", she added, pointing out that the EU had not waited for this US plan to provide economic assistance.
In the meantime, on Tuesday, the High Representative was in Washington, where she was to meet, among others, with the US President's Special Advisor, Jared Kushner, who is preparing the US plan. Ms Mogherini and Mr Kushner had already met on 4 June in Brussels (see EUROPE 12269/19). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)