Brussels, 28/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - On a visit to Israel, Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner did not rule out a “gradual resumption” in relations with the future Palestinian government. According to some commentators, however, any swift return to direct financial aid appears unlikely. The Commissioner's statement followed a visit to Cairo and came just before her visit to the Jordanian West Bank. The government of national unity, which is expected to come out of the Mecca inter-Palestinian agreement (its formation has been announced for next Saturday), will be obliged to respect Quartet conditions (EU, US, Russia and the UN), namely those on violence, recognition of Israel and the agreements concluded between the PLO and Israel. A resumption in financial aid, explained Ferrero-Waldner, depends on this, but for the time being, the Internal Aid Mechanism (AIM) remains the preferred instrument of international and European aid, which does not go through Palestinian government structures. According to ideas reported in the local press, the Commissioner had said that Palestinians should not expect a swift resumption in direct assistance. She said that the Mecca agreement is an important document, which has very probably helped prevent civil war. With the Israeli foreign affairs minister at her side, Tzipi Livni, the Commissioner added that they now had to begin rethinking how they could resume contact, perhaps in a gradual way, with a Palestinian government that responded to the principles of the Quartet.
The leader of Hamas, Khaled Mechaal, on a visit to Moscow, was clear that he wanted a “political” solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through possible negotiations with Israel. He explained that the Mecca agreement involved de facto recognition of Israel. The Russian minister for foreign affairs, Sergey Lavrov, with whom he had met up, said that Hamas had made, “sufficient progress” to allow for a relaxation in diplomatic and economic sanctions imposed on the Palestinian government in March 2006. (fb)