Jerusalem, 07/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - "Contacts by Europeans with Arafat and the expression of their sympathy for him are a waste of time," says a press release from the Israeli Defence Ministry published on Sunday following talks between Minister Binyamin ben Eliezier and the High representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, who, accompanied by the EU's Special Representative for the Middle East, Miguel Angel Moritanos, is on a trip to Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Egypt from 6 to 9 October. The press release states that the Israeli defence ministry proposed to the Europeans "avoiding these contacts and instead adopting a clear and firm stance, demanding of Palestinians concrete results in the fight against terrorism, and even slapping on sanctions if they do not change attitude." Mr. Solana, for his part, before meeting Arafat, placed emphasis on the need for Palestinians to "form a "genuine government, where everyone has clear responsibilities", with a Prime Minister that would "have to answer to the legislative assembly".
One of the aims of this new round of the region by Javier Solana (which precedes that of American envoy William Burns) is to promote the Quartet Plan which, on 17 September, had backed the Fifteen's roadmap for the Middle East (see EUROPE of 18 September, p.15). Solana and Moritanos' visit has been marked by further violence: twelve Palestinians were killed and fifty or so injured Sunday night (and Monday morning) following an incursion of Israeli tanks backed by helicopters in the town of Khan Tounes.