Barroso: Middle East Peace should not be hostage to Arab Spring

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Barroso: Middle East Peace should not be hostage to Arab Spring

09-07-2012

The Middle East Peace Process should not remain hostage to the Arab Spring, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has told his Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors on a visit to the region, saying the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict remains a strategic priority for the EU.

"Lately, international attention has been focused on other countries in the region. However the momentous change that we are witnessing throughout the Arab World should constitute an incitement and not a deterrent to the resumption of negotiations. The Middle East Peace Process cannot become an orphan of the Arab Spring," Barroso said after meeting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah yesterday.

He expressed the same sentiments today, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Saturday in Ramallah, Barroso added it was important that the two parties did not act in a way that undermines the viability of a two-state solution. "In this respect it is with concern that we see the continuous growth of settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."

The meeting with Fayyad focused on the Palestinian Authority's achievements of recent years and Barroso commended the Prime Minister for his leadership in undertaking "remarkable institution-building efforts and the delivery of public services to the Palestinian population".

From 2000 to the end of 2011, the EU has committed nearly €4 billion in assistance to the Palestinians. "The truth is that through our overall political and financial support we are laying the foundations of a future democratic and viable Palestinian state – its institutions and its infrastructure," said Barroso. "And through this we are contributing to a two-state solution. That has and will continue to be our goal: two states living side-by-side in peace and security."

Barroso also welcomed signs of more concrete progress on Palestinian reconciliation.

In the Palestinian territory, Barroso also inaugurated the Palestine College for Police Sciences in Jericho, which was co-funded by the European Commission, and signed a cooperation agreement worth €20 million in support of the Rule of Law and Democracy.

In Israel today, Barroso and Netanyahu reviewed the state of EU-Israel relations, with the Commission President emphasizing the close nature of bilateral relations, both from a political and economic point of view. The particular success of the cooperation on science and research was illustrated with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on energy and water.

The two leaders also discussed the regional situation with President Barroso expressing his deep concern at the deterioration of the situation in Syria. They also discussed vital threats in the region and exchanged views on the on-going diplomatic process aimed at solving the nuclear issue on Iran. (EU Neighbourhood Info)

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Press release

Press statement of President Barroso after his meeting with Prime Minister Fayyad in Ramallah

Speech of President Barroso on the occasion of the inauguration of the Police Training Centre in Jericho:

Statement following the meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu

Statement following meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority

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The EU and the Middle East Peace process

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