Leave no stone unturned in Israel peace talks – Otte

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 28/04/05

EU envoy Marc Otte has given a cautious welcome to calls from Paris and Moscow to hold a Middle East peace conference, in what is expected to be a major push towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Otte told European Voice that discussion of an international conference should begin but that it must deal with even the most controversial issues.

"We can start planning for the next phase and the international conference is clearly part of that," he said. "It is natural that this debate now comes to fruition."

Under the road map adopted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority the conference would "launch a process, leading to establishment of an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders".

For Otte, a conference should cover what the road map describes. "I don't think we can just pick and choose, one side can be more interested in one aspect than another."

While insisting that "the road map is not sequential", Otte acknowledged that the dismantling of Palestinian groups and a freeze on Israeli settlements had not yet been completed - both key elements of phase one of the road map.

Consequently, the exact timing of the conference "is open for discussion".

Both French and Russian leaders have offered to host a conference following Israel's expected withdrawal from Gaza this summer, in what some diplomats say is a move to refocus the debate back on the issue of a final status.

The offers come as European capitals increasingly show their concern at the lack of progress in the peace process.

On Monday (25 April) EU foreign ministers lamented the lack of movement towards solving the conflict and urged both sides to implement confidence-building measures agreed upon at a Sharm El Sheikh summit in February, including the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Analysts say that movement from the Israeli government is still needed to shore up moderate Palestinian factions, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, ahead of legislative elections in June.

Abbas, who this week completed 100 days in office, "is not doing too bad" according to Otte.

"I think he has been trying to increase security, but nobody is perfect, there is room for improvement, but he is aware of that himself."

The Belgian diplomat rejected allegations that the EU was bringing its political weight to bear.

"It is a bit scandalous that it is mainly Europeans who are saying that we don't play a role. We play a role. When people ask this question I ask, okay, what would you assign as another role for the European Union? What, send the army, bomb Israel, bomb the Palestinians, what do you want to do?

"It is a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy to say we don't play a role and not defining what this role should be."

In an interview with the European Voice, the EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Marc Otte, gave a cautious welcome to calls from the French and Russian Governments to hold a Middle East peace conference, in what was expected to be a major push towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Otte suggested that any such conference should cover all and not just some of the issues set out under the road map adopted by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Council: Policies: Foreign Policy: EU Special Representatives: Marc Otte http://consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=452&lang=en

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