Paris / Brussels, 26/07/2000 (Agence Europe) - The EU Presidency has made the following declaration: "The European Union pays tribute to the personal commitment of the President of the United States and the Secretary of State, to their determination and the unfailing efforts they made at the Camp David Summit to reach a path towards peace. It praises the courage Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Barak and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Arafat, demonstrated throughout their negotiations to reach the historic reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
The weeks of negotiations demonstrated that all the issues, even the most difficult, were discussed in full. For the first time, taboos were broken. Positions that still seemed, only a short time ago, irreconcilable, have moved on thanks to the sense of responsibility of the parties. The last obstacles that prevented the conclusion of an agreement must be overcome. The hope that was born in these past few weeks of negotiations must not fade. More than ever, there is no other way out than peace".
In a press release, the High Representative for Cfsp, Javier Solana added his voice to that of the EU Presidency in praising the courage of Messrs. Barak and Arafat, as well as Mr. Clinton's tenacity. "I refuse to consider the outcome of negotiations a failure", Solana declared, especially welcoming the fact that the two leaders had made the commitment to continue their efforts at concluding an agreement on all issues linked to the permanent status as soon as possible. He then added: "There is no alternative to continuing negotiations. They will have all my support and that of the European Union".