Brussels, 13/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Monday ministers of foreign affairs examined the situation in the Middle East and the prospects for a continuation in the peace process following the negative opinion by the International Court of Justice in The Hague pronounced on 9 July on the security wall built by Israel. The Dutch minister of foreign affairs and the current president of the Council, Bernard Bot, also made a declaration on behalf of the presidency of the EU underlining that: the consultative opinion by the Court n the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in Palestinian territory has to be studied carefully; the European Union, while recognising Israel's right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, has urged Israel on many occasions to stop and reverse the building of the barrier within occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and its suburbs, which is not permissible in the provisions of international law"; the peace process, such as that established in the Road Map, is of "crucial importance" for the EU reaffirmed Mr Bot to the press and that the political process was the only way of reaching a negotiated solution whereby "the two States would be agreed to by all the parties and which would result in a viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent state, existing in peace side by side with Israel within the land of recognised and secure borders"; it was now up to the United Nations' political bodies to decide on who it could follow up this Court opinion.