Brussels, 16/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - With a view to the meeting of the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament which, on 18 October, is to make a final decision on the Sakharov Prize 2001, the President of the European United Left/Nordic Greens Left Group, Francis Wurtz, recalled that, on 2 October, an extremely rare absolute majority of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights had placed in the lead the joint candidature of an Israeli women and a Palestinian man, both cruelly tested by this conflict and all the more firmly engaged in seeking lasting peace between the two peoples. This choice in no way diminishes the quality of other candidatures, "but expresses a clear political will at the present moment" and would certainly be welcomed by "our partners of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum", on 8 November, stressed Mr Wurtz. He notes that, in the situation created by "the majority and deliberately symbolic vote" by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, "the margin of manoeuvre of the Presidents of the Group is now slim. Either they unambiguously confirm the choice before them, and their gesture will go far; or they will disavow the relevant committee (…) and run the risk (…) of snubbing the Parliament".