Brussels, 19/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - The heads of the various institutions have welcomed the decisions taken at the Sharm El Sheikh summit, hoping that they bring long-lasting relief between Israeli and Palestinians (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.3, press conference by Mr Solana) and then enable to rekindle peace process.
President of European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine, while recalling that she had called, in Biarritz, for Javier Solana to take part in summit (see EUROPE of 14 October, .5), noted that "the mobilisation of all the international community can contribute to renewing dialogue", and said she was sure that "among the measures that will enable to re-establish confidence are at the fore of the economic cooperation actions". For this reason, she announced, "next week I will discuss this issue with my colleagues in the budgets committee and parliamentary delegations in the region to analyse the best way to tackle these needs". Furthermore, by denouncing the acts recently committed against synagogues in Europe, and notably in France, she asserted that it is necessary to avoid the creation, "from isolated acts, tensions between religious communities", and proposed to the representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, Catholic and Protestant religions to meet them in Strasbourg next week and to meet with the leaders in the EP to consider the most appropriate manner to contribute to the inter-community dialogue". EUROPE believes that Mrs Fontaine has already received several positive answers and that the meeting could be held next Wednesday or Thursday.
Furthermore, the French Presidency of the EU Council welcomed the fact that the call from the Biarritz summit was heard, in the following statement: "The EU calls on the two parties, during the European Council in Biarritz, to take part in a meeting in the summit in order to continue with great urgency the dialogue. It is important that the President of the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Prime Minister where able to meet in Sharm EL Sheikh and that they agreed, with the help of all parties present, to take immediate measures to put an end to the violence. It calls on the parties, which have shown at this critical time their sense of responsibility, to implement without delay the decisions they have taken. The European Union will maintain its undertaking towards peace".
As for the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi, he then paid homage to the two parties for the "courage" they showed and thanked all the participants in the summit, including the High Representative Javier Solana, Mr Prodi reaffirmed the Commission's desire to cooperate with the parties in order to tackle all "the crucial challenges" in the region, concluding: "We will do everything in our power to help".
The President of the European Parliament's Socialist group Enrique Baron hoped that the presence of the European Union in the fact finding mission which the Sharm El Sheikh summit decided upon the establishment, by underlining the active participation of the EU (through Javier Solana) in this summit.