Last update - 13:34 23/06/2002
EU leaders call for early Mideast peace conference
By News Agencies
Javier Solana: 'We need a quick initiative.'
(Photo: AP)
SEVILLE - European Union leaders, ending a two-day summit, called Saturday for the early convening of an international peace conference on the Middle East, warning the region had reached a "dramatic turning point."
In a statement issued after a particularly deadly week in Israel and the Palestinian territories, the European leaders declared they stand "ready to contribute fully to peace-building" and the reconstruction of the Palestinian economy.
It said an international peace conference - jointly hosted by the EU, the United States, the United Nations and Russia - was needed to discuss security, political and economic issues. It must also "re-affirm the parameters of a political solution and establish a realistic and well-defined timescale."
"We need a quick initiative," Javier Solana, the EU's foreign and security policy chief told reporters after the summit.
The statement said the EU "strongly condemns all terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians" and called on Israel to cease all "military operations in the Occupied Territories."
It also called on Israel to end restrictions on freedom of movement for Palestinians.
The EU leaders called on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to reform his administration, adding they expect the "Palestinian Authority to make good on its commitment to security reform, early elections and political and administrative reform."
As the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush cannot decide on terms for launching a Palestinian state, the cabinet on Friday endorsed a plan to gradually reoccupy Palestinian land until a wave of terrorist attacks by Palestinians comes to a halt.
The EU remained hopeful, however that international efforts can bring both sides to the peace table this summer even though the intensification of violence over the last week has dampened expectations.
"Further escalation will render the situation uncontrollable," said the EU summit text.
"The parties on their own cannot find a solution. There is an urgent need for political action by the whole international community."
Palestinian suicide bombings, a shooting at a settlement and Israeli military strikes killed 33 Israelis and 12 Palestinians this week. The attacks have delayed plans by U.S. President George W. Bush to deliver a speech outlining U.S. views on Middle East peacemaking.
In Washington, officials said the Bush administration's silence on the Middle East stems from a debate within his administration on how much democratic reform to require of Arafat before Washington can endorse the launch of provisional Palestinian state. |
