Solana in Arafat visit

Date: 25/04/02

By David Cronin

ISRAELI troops surrounded foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the EU's Middle East envoy Miguel Moratinos yesterday (24 April).

The pair were visiting the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his besieged Ramallah compound.

A spokesman for Solana said his 'very presence in difficult conditions' was 'a sign of support' for Arafat.

The EU's main message was that the UN Security Council resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from areas officially under Palestinian control needed to be implemented.

Both Solana and Spain's Foreign Minister Josep Piqué had previously been refused access to Arafat earlier this month by Ariel Sharon's government. This week's visit was given the green light by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres during talks between ministers from the EU and Mediterranean countries in Valencia, Spain on Monday (22 April).

Chris Patten, the EU's external relations commissioner, said he wanted to see the UN mission 'make effective and rapid progress' in establishing what happened in Jenin.

'It would not be in Israel's interest to leave unanswered the allegations which have been made,' he told the European Parliament.

Foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the EU's Middle East envoy Miguel Moratinos visited Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on 24 April 2002.