Brussels, 06/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - In the period between two meetings of the Quartet (on 3 February in Washington and a second due to be held in the coming weeks) and in a situation marked by the common desire of the EU, USA, UN and Russia to relaunch peace talks in the Middle East, the German chancellor and current president of the EU has just completed a tour of the major Arabic countries in the region (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait).
Angela Merkel recalled the conditions for a resumption of financial aid to the Palestinians on the first leg of her trip on Saturday 3 February in Cairo. “The economic development of the Palestinian territories is a vital step. In order to get there, there must be respect for the international conditions on the existence of Israel, a renouncement of violence and the recognition of international agreements”, she declared at a joint press conference with President Hosni Mubarak. He said: “We are working on (forming a) Palestinian national unity government”. The situation, which results from “a problem among the Palestinians themselves”, makes it “impossible for the Palestinian side to sit down at a table with the Israeli side while they (the Palestinians) are not in agreement among themselves”, Mr Mubarak said. Ms Merkel also had talks with General Secretary of the Arab League Amr Moussa, who “invited Europeans to play an important role in resolving the conflict” in the region. He also asked the EU to put pressure on the Americans to get more involved in the Quartet, according to a German government source quoted by the press. Before leaving the Egyptian capital, Ms Merkel met the imam of Al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, the highest authority in Sunni Islam.
In Riyadh, as in the other Gulf countries, the chancellor spoke of the conditions for a resumption of aid to the Palestinians and, in general terms, the efforts towards a peace agreement, stating that Germany had made promoting peace in the region an objective for its six month presidency of the EU. The talks have also covered the situation in Iraq and the roles played in the region by Syria and Iran, two countries which she criticised in a speech in Abu Dhabi: “There are forces, in the region and elsewhere, which do not want” the peace efforts to be crowned with success, she said. She pointed the finger at the dangers of the Iranian nuclear programme and the role played by Teheran in Lebanon. Syria for its part “has not taken the opportunity to play a constructive role”, says Angela Merkel. A measure which Syria could take would be, for example, to entertain diplomatic relations with Lebanon, she stated.
EU-GCC Free trade agreement
During her visit to Riyadh, Ms Merkel also talked to General Secretary of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Abderrahman al-Attiyah, about the prospects for economic and trade cooperation, in particular the conclusion of a free trade agreement, the negotiations for which are almost complete. She noted the “common desire” to progress down this path and recalled the meeting in April, scheduled to coincide with the next Joint Cooperation Council. On that occasion, Mr Abderrahman al-Attiyah is also due to meet Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. (fb)