Brussels, 02/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Easter break seems to have given the Israeli Army a free rein despite the UN Resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from the besieged Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 30 March, Resolution 1204 didn't prevent George Bush from confirming the United States' support for Sharon's government while various EU politicians issued a few statements in which they again called for an end to this spiralling into war. "War has to be avoided" said the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, calling for concerted international action, saying there was nothing for it but to get the US, Europe, Russia, the United Nations and the two sides in the conflict around the same negotiating table. On Monday in Bologna he said that Europe had to decide along with the others. The others had left Europe aside, he said, and the results of this were now clear. Visiting China, Chris Patten said "misery and violence won't stop" until the blockade of Palestinian territories is lifted. A Commission spokesperson said there had to be a ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Ramallah. The British foreign minister Jack Straw said that Israel's action couldn't be justified as part of the international war on terrorism. He said the Palestinian suicide bombings were "at the heart of the spiral of violence and driving the Israeli government's position" but called for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank and called on both sides to engage in peace talks through US special envoy Anthony Zinni, adding "There can be no military solution to this desperate situation in which the Israelis and the Palestinians find themselves". The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was due to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian crisis with the Russian President Vladimir Putin during a two-day visit to Moscow that began on Tuesday. He said the US and the EU had to make an effort to decide how and when international observers can be sent to the region with the agreement of both parties and called for the holy sites to be respected and not to be re-occupied, especially Bethlehem. Calling for the UN Resolution to be respected, the French foreign minister Hubert Védrine cast doubt on the EU's capacity to reach agreement in a period of crisis, noting that some politicians (like the Spanish President) think nothing should be done in order to avoid disturbing the US.
In an interview on Spanish radio the EU's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, said it was very difficult for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat "to control anything" from his besieged headquarters. "In the past he has had his share of responsibility, because no one is free of sin here", said Mr Solana, adding "There is an occupied territory which has to be dis-occupied and there is a military operation taking place which is not going to improve the situation, but rather worsen it". Mr Solana and the Spanish Presidency were preparing on Tuesday for an emergency meeting in Madrid of EU foreign ministers. The meeting might be scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Brussels. The EU is expected to call for United Nations Security Council Resolution 1204 to be fully applied.
Co-Presidents of the Greens/European Free Alliance group at the EP, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Monica Frassoni, and Pasqualina Napoletano (DS) have called on the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, to send a very high level EP delegation to the Middle East. The President of the delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Assembly, Louisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL, Italy) is already in the region and given the gravity of the situation, she appears to have informed Pat Cox that such a mission is virtually impossible. Pat Cox feels that events had now overtaken the two initiatives he had been planning (at the last plenary), to invite Yasser Arafat and Shimon Peres to the EP and to travel to the area with other politicians on the initiative of the President of the French National Assembly. Mr Moratinos will not be able to attend the Conference of Presidents scheduled for Thursday, but the meeting may add a debate on the Middle East crisis to the plenary session agenda for Strasbourg on Wednesday morning.
The European Commission decided on Tuesday to continue its budgetary assistance to the Palestinian Authority to the tune of EUR 50 million for March to July 2002. The aid is designed to help the Palestinian Authority secure basic expenditure and strengthen viable and transparent management of the budget, monitored by the IMF.