Brussels, 29/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - During a press conference with the Israeli foreign minister, on 28 August in Jerusalem, the EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, condemned the terrorist attack committed that same day in Beer Sheva. He said: “We must not allow terrorists to endanger the new sense of hope grown in the last days and weeks here”. Mr Solana, who also met Prime Minister Sharon and attended a working dinner in Ramallah with the representatives of the Palestinian civil society before meeting the president and the prime minister of Palestine, Abu Mazen and Abu Ala, again paid tribute to the Israeli leaders for the “political courage shown in implementing the decision to withdraw from Gaza”. The Israeli society and its security forces are to be congratulated for the way the withdrawal is being carried out, Mr Solana told the press, noting: “Democracy and the rule of law prevailed and the decisions of the Government and Parliament were implemented. The Palestinian leadership is to be praised as well for their efforts and the constructive manner in which they have acted. I will personally pass this message to them tomorrow”. The High Representative stressed: “Now the second phase has to be implemented with the same diligence (…). I call on the leaders of Israel and the PA not to lose the momentum for peace created with the withdrawal from Gaza. It would be a tremendous mistake not to use the positive energy generated by the pullout in order to move forward towards the implementation of the Roadmap for Peace. This has to be our objective now. Nobody should be allowed to diminish the expectations created here in the region and no party should take any measures that could break this encouraging momentum”. “The European Union is supporting with more means and additional resources the process in the same three directions in which it is working now: political economic and security”, Mr Solana added on the subject of the additional financial package of EUR 60 million foreseen by the European Commission for reconstructing the infrastructure and strengthening the Palestinian institutions in Gaza (see also EUROPE 9013 and 9014).