Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-15-Speech-3-139"
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"en.20020515.7.3-139"2
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"Mr President, unfortunately the situation in the region is still very critical. There are enormous restrictions on the Palestinian people, military action is persisting, terrorist actions are persisting and, as has been said here, last week another fifteen civilians were murdered and more than fifty were wounded.
We must take account of the fact that no democratic society can endure weekly terrorist actions without demanding that its leaders act. In addition, on a political level, we have witnessed the regrettable resolution approved by Likud, the importance of which we should not overestimate since luckily it is a minority view within the Knesset and also within Israeli society, as indicated by the opinion polls mentioned by Mr Solana, just as the statements by the leader of the radical Islamic group Hamas do not naturally represent the views of the Palestinian National Authority.
However, there are some hopeful signs. The huge demonstration by citizens in Israel calling for an end to the occupation, President Arafat’s statements against terrorist actions, ordering police action and indicating his willingness to accept co-existence with a Jewish State, which coincide with the statements made in Sharm-el-Sheikh by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Libya, and also the end of the confinement of Mr Arafat and the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, are naturally extremely positive.
The hand of the European Union is clearly evident in some of these hopeful signals – and we should bear this in mind since we often tend to underestimate our own capacities. The mediation of the European Union is crucial and we must therefore roundly reject the unfair and unfounded accusations that Community contributions are being misused. I am happy with the speedy and thorough explanation by Commissioner Patten, but, as he himself has said, we must be very scrupulous. On previous occasions my group has expressed its concern about the destination of certain aid for education.
The parties in the conflict recognise that the participation of the international community is essential. We must contribute to consolidating the existence of the Quartet so that it may ensure the staging of an international conference, which of course incorporates the Arab countries, and let there be no doubt that the European Union will play a prominent role in that conference."@en1
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