Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-19-Speech-3-110"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000119.5.3-110"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, firstly my thanks and appreciation to Commissioner Patten for his comments here today, particularly in relation to the role of the European Union in the peace process, and for reaffirming that our role is not only that of "banker" for the entire operation.
I was deeply disappointed at the news this week that the peace talks between Israel and Syria had been suspended. I very much hope that a compromise can be reached to overcome this so that the peace negotiations can be resumed at a very early date. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that some positive political progress has been made in the Middle East of late. The fact that the Syrian Foreign Minister and the Israeli Prime Minister were recently sitting around the same table in America for the first time in their respective histories is an indication that old hatreds and animosities can be overcome.
Political leaders must show real courage to put in place a framework which can lead to an overall peace settlement within the Middle East. I know that if agreement can be reached between Syria and Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister will still face real opposition to any new agreement with Syria in any future referendum. The settlers at the Golan Heights will demand to be compensated and there will have to be guarantees of security. If Syria would be willing to offer concessions on the security question then the prospects of a successful resolution to the Israel/Syria question might be promising.
On the issue of Palestine, I recognise that there are still some difficulties with regard to the implementation of some aspects of the Wye Agreement. The key problem areas at the moment include the difficulties of redeployment, as well as the transfer of territories. The low level of releases of Palestinian prisoners and the fact that the Israeli Government appears to intend halting implementation of building permits already granted, as well as not approving new ones, pose further obstacles. These issues have clearly been holding up progress on the permanent status negotiations, although, I believe, these talks will not be held up indefinitely.
At present, the main difficulty in approaching the negotiations seems to be that the Palestinians are insisting that the border issue must be agreed upon first, while the Israeli Government says that it should be settled only if a solution is reached on the issue of settlements and security. Currently, both sides seem to have accepted that nothing will be agreed until everything is agreed.
In conclusion, while other countries in the Middle East have had reservations about the overall direction of the peace process, now that the Syrian Government has been brought into the peace process, Egypt and other countries in the region are willing to move forward. I sincerely hope that, in the interests of improving the safety and quality of life of the people living in the Middle East, all the key protagonists will move forward quickly, in the very near future, so as to reach an overall agreement on all the key matters which need to be resolved."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples