Tunis, 21/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The debates on the Middle East organised last week within the EuroMed Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) in Tunis, which coincided with the vote of confidence by the Palestinian parliament (CLP) on the new national unity government (EUROPE 9389), also focused on the Egyptian proposal to hold a special session on the Middle East. Egypt in fact is offering to host a one-day conference, probably in June in Cairo, to bring together the parties directly involved as well as outside “guests”, such as the former US presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Most delegates at the EMPA meetings consider this prospect too vast. They call for limits to be set for the themes and panel of the conference. The Israelis remain very reticent. Majali Whbee, who is a member of Kadima, the prime minister's party, said on behalf of Israel that he appreciated the Egyptian invitation but that his preference is for “bilateral contacts” with Arab neighbours and not in the context of a sort of international “powwow”. He restated the requirement expressed by his country saying: “In order to have meaningful discussions, all partners need accept the Quartet's position and the roadmap”. Mr Whbee also stresses that “the Barcelona process was established to build bridges and create conditions for peace and not to try and impose conflict resolutions”. The European Parliament also supports the convening of a special session, but only in so far as it is generally felt within its different political groups that the Israeli refusal to take part is not final. MEPs are counting on Egyptian diplomacy to overcome this opposition.
This uncertainty and the difficult debates held on Saturday within the ad hoc group on the Middle East around the attitude of facing up to a national unity government in Palestine, would explain the absence of any reference to a special session in texts approved in Tunis. The political resolution, adopted by consensus (and therefore with the agreement of the Israeli delegation) nonetheless calls for everything possible to be done to organise an international peace conference after the fashion of the Madrid conference in 1991.
On the subject of the Palestinian national unity government, the text simply states that the EMPA, including Israeli representatives, “has no doubt that it [the government] will commit itself to a programme that reflects the principles of the Quartet”. A lifting of the European (financial) embargoes and the Israeli (trade and taxation) embargoes is “required” by the EuroMed Parliamentary Assembly, which expresses, moreover, its “outrage at the arrest of the president of the CLP”, Aziz Dweïk.
During his final press conference, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering welcomed the formation of the government of national unity and said one should not impose “preconditions” on it, but ensure that the spirit of “coexistence” between the different parties to the conflict is developed. The EU must not, he said, “take over from the players but play a role”, mainly by bringing points of view closer together, ruling out all rejection of any of the parties involved. (fb)