Date of release : 13-06-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : General Affairs and External Relations Council

Jean Asselborn, current President of the EU Council, summarised the Middle East peace process at the conclusion of the General Affairs Council held on 13 June 2005 in Luxembourg:

"Today we felt that we have arrived at a very important time in the peace process. The long-awaited meeting between Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas, scheduled for next 21 June, is in our opinion crucial for re-launching the political negotiations and for moving toward a just and lasting peace.

We also hope that the Palestinian legislative elections can take place as quickly as possible. In any case, the European Union is still willing to support these efforts completely, and that includes sending a European election observation mission.  

With regard to developments in the field, we applaud the statement of the spokesperson for the mayor of Jerusalem, who said that, in the end, the Israeli authorities do not intend to demolish the homes of Palestinians in Silwan, and the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision on the legality of the withdrawal from Gaza. As you know, all the appeals filed by certain settlers have been dismissed.

Conversely, we called on the Palestinian Authority to reinstate the death penalty moratorium which had been in effect since 2002, after four executions that took place yesterday in Gaza.

We shall revisit the developments in the Middle East in greater detail during our discussions in the European Council"