| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 3.5.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 06/05/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After months of intense diplomatic efforts, the Quartet of mediators in the Middle East Peace Process - representatives from the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and the United States of America - presented their long awaited "roadmap" to peace in the Middle East on 30 April 2002. Although the US government has dominated the presentation of the roadmap, from the European perspective it is a signal of the EU's commitment to the region and a much needed example of the EU's ability to play a key role in international affairs after the disarray over Iraq. Commenting on the roadmap, the EU's High Representative, Javier Solana, said:
Background Over the course of spring 2002 the world witnessed the situation in the Middle East deteriorate and the escalation of violence in the region continues to date. The suffering of hundred of Arabs and Israelis in Jerusalem and the West Bank has highlighted the urgent need for a solution to the long-standing problem in the Middle East and encouraged the key actors on the international stage to get involved in the quest for peace. It is in this context that the European Union has sought to play a role in the peace brokering process. Not only is it keen to see peace and stability brought to this area not far from its own borders but the situation also offers the European Union the opportunity to carve itself a role as a more powerful player on the global stage. In recent years, the European Union has demonstrated its commitment to the region through financial support, providing an average of €179 million a year over the past six years in direct support of the Palestinian Authority, refugees and regional Peace Process projects, and through political and diplomatic efforts. Since the European Union's basic position on the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) was first expressed in the Venice Declaration on the Middle East at the June 1980 European Council it has been repeatedly reaffirmed at subsequent European Councils as well as by General Affairs Councils of Foreign Ministers. A detailed commentary covering the background to the Middle East conflict and the EU's role in the MEPP can be found in European Sources Online's previous In Focus: The EU and the Middle East Quartet Although the EU has undoubtedly played a political and economic role in the peace process over the last two decades, it has not been at the forefront of negotiations, that position has been occupied by the United States. However, since the beginning of 2002 it has sought a more active role: in February 2002, on the initiative of the French government, the EU sought to launch a new peace plan suggesting that the deadlock could be broken by Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Authority seeking a fresh mandate through elections. In reality, the escalation of violence in March 2002 and the further deterioration in negotiations hampered the EU's efforts but these did succeed in stimulating greater US involvement in the Middle East Peace Process. On 5 April 2002, President Bush issued a keynote statement in which he announced that the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, would visit the Middle East with the aim of negotiating a ceasefire. Responding to Bush's statement President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, said,
This support was reinforced in a meeting on 11 April 2002 in Madrid when representatives from the UN, Russia, the US and Europe met to discuss the Middle East conflict. The Madrid Conference was effectively the beginning of what has become known as the "Middle East Quartet" as the four groups agreed to present the Palestinian Authority and Israel with a united front. In a declaration issued by the group they called for an immediate ceasefire, for Israel to withdraw immediately from the Palestinian self-rule areas, and for Mr Arafat to unequivocally denounce suicide bombers. Two months later after Palestinian terrorist attacks continued unabated, the US demonstrated a significant shift in policy when President Bush made a speech on 24 June 2002 explicitly calling for "a new and different" Palestinian leadership. While many commentators felt the US' new approach to the Middle East would influence the position of the Quartet, the general conclusion was that the results of the second meeting of the Middle East Quartet in New York on 16 July 2002 were more in parallel with the position reached in Madrid than that outlined in President Bush's speech of 24 June 2002. In New York, representatives welcomed Palestinian efforts at economic and political reform and reasserted their commitment to achieve a peaceful solution to the crisis. The first clear signal that the Quartet intended to produce a detailed action plan for peace came at the third meeting of the group in New York on 17 December 2002 at which they announced:
The foundations of the roadmap may well have originated in Europe as the European Union had drafted a similar style peace plan in Summer 2002 aimed at "filling the gaps" left by President Bush's speech. Indeed much of the early momentum behind the Middle East Road Map appears to have been EU driven: it was Javier Solana and Chris Patten who pushed for the roadmap to be published by the end of 2002, arguing that the process needed to be given further momentum if the 2005 deadline for the creation of a Palestine state was to be met. Ultimately, Washington's view that the blueprint was not complete won out and its publication was delayed until 2003 but Mr. Solana was prepared to publicly bemoan the lack of a committed American partner in the process. The Quartet's Road Map to Peace in the Middle East So, just over a year after the Quartet first met in Madrid on 11 April 2003, the long awaited Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict was released on 30 April 2003. In the event, its presentation was so dominated by the US, one might have been excused for failing to realise that the document was actually a joint effort of the United Nations, the European Union and Russia in addition to the United States. In fact, the publication of the roadmap so soon after the war in Iraq appeared to be coming to an end, may largely be attributed to the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair who levied pressure on President Bush to make a clear commitment to achieving peace in the region following the coalition forces attack on Iraq. The eventual publication of the document was also made possible after a new Palestinian administration took office on 29 April 2003. The Roadmap sets out three phases on the route to a final and comprehensive settlement of the Israel-Palestinian conflict by 2005:
All those involved in the Middle East Peace Process are aware that the commitment now required by both Palestinian and Israeli leaders for the roadmap to succeed is enormous but similarly everyone is aware that it offers one of the most significant opportunities for lasting peace in the region. The Palestinian Administration enthusiastically welcomed the "roadmap" and the new Palestinian Foreign Minister, Nabil Shaath, called for immediate implementation of the plan, according to the Associated Press news agency. However, the Israeli government reacted cautiously to the proposal, saying they would take time to consider its details before making any further comment. Much will depend on the ability of the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, and his cabinet to control attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis. Mr. Abbas is well known for his criticism of these militant attacks but his ability to prevent them is unproven. The day before the roadmap was published three people were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a café in Tel Aviv and Hamas, the group purported to be responsible for these attacks, has openly rejected the "roadmap" outright. Yet despite these challenges, leaders from the European Union have expressed their hopes for future peace in the region and reaffirmed their commitment to the process. President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, said:
His fellow European Commissioner, Chris Patten, responsible for the EU's external relations added:
In a strong demonstration of support for the roadmap, the EU announced on the same day as its publication new forms of assistance to support the reform process in the Palestinian Authority, bringing the level of assistance foreseen for the Palestinian Territories in 2003 to €245million. The additional aid will be provided through a new Reform Support Instrument targeted on the payment of arrears to small enterprises and social services and a new form of technical assistance to facilitate implementation of reforms of public finance. The joint announcement of both the Quartet's roadmap and the new financial support measures reflect the EU's commitment to the Middle East region. After the disarray over Iraq, the EU's role in the Quartet's successful implementation of the "roadmap" could do much to strengthen the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy whilst going some way to healing the transatlantic rift. Since early 2002, the European Union has proved its ability to levy a certain amount of pressure on the US to intervene in the Middle East and to play its role, albeit in the superpower's shadows. However, with several Arab states cautious about US intentions in the region after the war against Iraq there could yet be an opportunity for the EU to take on a more significant role and more importantly help to bring an end to more than half a century of conflict. Further information within European Sources Online:
Further information can be seen in these external links: EU Institutions News Organisations
Further and subsequent information on the subject of this In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'Middle East' in the keyword field. Helen Bower Compiled: 3 May 2003 On 30 April 2003, the Middle East 'Quartet' made up of representatives from the EU, Russia, the UN and the United States of America presented their long awaited 'roadmap' to peace in the region. |
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| Countries / Regions | Middle East | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
