Brussels, 26/11/2001 (Agence Europe) -The International Federation of Human Rights welcomed the publishing of the European Commission's warning to European importers of the possibility that goods benefiting from preferential custom tariffs covered in the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel but which are produced in the occupied territories and imported into to Europe, would be subject to a tax. (See 24 November's issue of EUROPE page 9). The FIDH asserted that European Union Member States would be calling for independent arbitration in the matter in accordance with the initiative launched by the European Commission. The FIDH added that it regretted that political dialogue which should have been continued at the Association Council on 20 November, did not take place due to the absence of the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (see EUROPE 21 November page 8). It also called on the EU and Israel to arrange for another date for dialogue as soon as possible. The Federation explained that political dialogue was one of the main aspects of the Association Agreement and that the question of human rights must therefore be systematically raised within this framework. The Federation claimed that if dialogue was avoided or postponed, an essential aspect of the agreement would not have been implemented.