Steinmeier: Quartet must nudge peace process
Photo: AP
EU ministers debate recognizing new PA gov't
European foreign ministers assess prospects for Middle East peace based on new Palestinian coalition and revived Arab peace initiative
EU foreign ministers on Saturday assessed prospects for Middle East peace based on a Palestinian government comprising the rival Fatah and Hamas factions and a revived Arab peace initiative.
"A number of Arab partners have acted constructively in furthering" the peace process, Steinmeier, whose country holds the EU presidency, said as he arrived at the meeting.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised Saudi Arabia for helping put together a Palestinian national unity government and for relaunching a 2002 peace initiative at this week's Arab League summit in Riyadh.
Peace Process
Associated Press
Palestinian Authority president accuses Israel of evading peace by demanding Arab peace initiative be amended, says region could slide into violence if peace not achieved in near future
The Arab initiative calls for full recognition of Israel by the Arab world in return for an Israeli withdrawal from territories captured in the 1967 Middle East war and a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees who fled or were driven from homes inside Israel during the war following Israel's creation in 1948.
Steinmeier said it was vital for the so-called Quartet of peace negotiators - the United States, the EU, the UN and Russia - to nudge the peace process forward at its next meeting in two weeks.
"We shouldn't let this opportunity evaporate again," Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said.
The new Palestinian government's platform falls short of the Quartet's demands, though moderate Palestinians say it implicitly recognizes Israel by "respecting" peace agreements.
Diplomats said they expect the EU to take a wait-and-see attitude: sticking, for now, to an ad-hoc aid scheme, overseen by the World Bank, that in the past year has funneled $932 million to needy Palestinians - bypassing the Hamas-led government.
EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, who was scheduled to brief the EU ministers on the outcome of this week's Arab League summit, told the European Parliament this week he will recommend the EU governments judge the new Palestinian government "by its deeds" and maintain contact with moderate elements in the national unity government.
