EU still lacks credibility in Middle East – envoy

Date: 23/05/02

By Martin Banks

THE European Union still lacks credibility in the Middle East despite helping to end the five-week siege at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, according to Israel's EU ambassador Harry Kney-Tal.

However, the Union could still play an important role in the region, the envoy told a Brussels conference yesterday (15 May).

Under a deal brokered last week, 13 Palestinian militants holed up in the church were flown out to Cyprus by UK forces in return for Israel lifting the siege and withdrawing from the town.

Despite providing a bridge between the Israelis and Palestinians, Kney-Tal says the EU still has to convince many it can help tackle future problems.

He said: 'In times of an acute crisis in the Middle East, such as we have seen recently, there is a need for strong political dialogue between the EU and both sides in the conflict.

'Unfortunately, this has been absent. Instead, all we saw were threats culminating in the European Parliament endorsing calls for economic sanctions against Israel.'

He added: 'The EU has an important role to play in bringing about a lasting peace but dialogue between each of the parties has to be reviewed and put on a more solid base.

'Only then can the EU hope to convince Israel and Palestine that it can deal with their problems more credibly.'

The ambassador said the aftermath of Israel's recent military operations 'opened a window of opportunity' for future peace talks.

'This is a moment of truth for the Palestinian leadership. It has to get serious about dealing with terrorism,' he said.

Speaking at the European Centre for Policy Studies, he also said the possibility of Israel eventually joining the EU should be treated 'very seriously'.

On Monday, EU foreign ministers put off a decision on which countries would take the 13 Palestinians militants.

Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal have signalled they will accept the exiles, but ministers said more time was needed to establish their legal status and deal with practical issues such as family visits.

The European Union still lacks credibility in the Middle East, despite helping to end the five-week siege at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity in May 2002, according to Israel's EU ambassador Harry Kney-Tal.