Brussels, 03/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - Foreign Ministers from EU Member States met on Wednesday evening in Luxembourg for an informal meeting on the situation in the Middle East. This meeting was more than symbolic and was organised on the initiative of the Spanish Presidency, emphasising the gravity of the situation and the need for a European response. The last meeting of this kind followed the attacks on 11 September in the USA. Foreign Affairs Ministers attended a dinner at the invitation of the Spanish Presidency under Josep Piqué (this formula ensures the confidentiality of the discussions), which should be followed by a press conference in the evening. They are expected to request the full application of Resolution 1402 of the United Nations Security Council and he immediate withdrawal of the Israeli army from Palestinian villages. The sending of a delegation to the trouble spot is also envisaged.
On Tuesday, while the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, was preparing for this meeting with the Spanish authorities, the President of the European Council, Jose Maria Aznar, wrote to the Israeli prime minister, asking him to respect the Security Council Resolution, apply a ceasefire, give Yasser Arafat access to food, water and electricity again, and allow him to liaise with foreign diplomats and other Palestinian officials. On behalf of the EU, these demands were also submitted to the Israeli ambassador in Madrid. The EU's position was supported on Tuesday by the Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov, who held meetings with Pique and Solana in Madrid. He said that Russia's position totally matched Spain's position. He said they all shared the objective of fighting international terrorism, but that must not lead to the destruction of the Palestinian Authority. We are Israel's friends, but it is vital that the Security Council Resolution is applied immediately. There is no other alternative, he stressed.
On Wednesday evening France was due to suggest sending an EU delegation headed by Jose Maria Aznar (or Josep Pique) and Javier Solana to meet both Sharon and Arafat. Before the meeting, Josep Pique, stressed the responsibility of the US and also their duty to ensuring Resolution 1402 was applied. We are all convinced that without the US, it will impossible to really find a solution to the conflict, he said. His French counterpart Hubert Védrine echoed other European politicians in his view that it is the Sharon government's policies that were forcing the Palestinians into despair and violence and that terrorism couldn't be fought simply with oppression. The Greek prime minister Costas Simitis said Greece was ready to support any initiative that would get the peace process going again, saying that the Saudi plan was a good basis on which to negotiate.