Brussels, 22/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 21 March, the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee sent a “powerful signal” to the EU Council, calling for European sanctions against the Palestinian people and government to be lifted. Véronique De Keyser, who coordinates the PES group, presented an own-initiative report that was adopted in a “stormy atmosphere”, according to the MEP. She said the “EU must now give a chance to the national unity government, and hope to the Palestinian people”. She regrets that the EPP-ED Group is opposed to the report whereas the Greens, ALDE and the United Left supported it. Before the vote, MEPs held an exchange of views with the official in charge of the World Bank in Palestine, who explained to them the difficulties encountered when implementing the Transitional International Mechanism (TIM). After the debate, Ms De Keyser said “we are at a decisive time: there will be no other opportunity for a long while to end this cycle of violence in the Middle East”.
In the meantime, the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council welcomes the formation of a Palestinian government of national unity and invites the EU presidency to act immediately in order to renew its support to the legitimate Palestinian government without resorting to any intermediaries, said the delegation chairman, Kyriacos Triantaphyllides (GUE/NGL, Cyprus). He announces that a European parliamentary mission will be sent to the Palestinian territories at the beginning of May. Mr Triantaphyllides also calls on the Quartet to “take the necessary measures so that EU financing is transferred directly to Palestinian citizens and not delayed by private banking institutions”. The Israeli government is, in this new context, called upon to take action by opening talks with the Palestinian government in order to continue normalisation of relations. The delegation also calls on it to pay back all the “Palestinian customs receipts and taxes” that it has kept back. (fb)