European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek made the followingstatement on the resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis andPalestinians in
"We welcome the resumption of direct negotiationsbetween the Israelis and the Palestinians to resolve the final status issues.While we condemn to the utmost the deadly attack that killed four Israelis inthe
The European Parliament stands ready to give all itssupport, at every step of the way, to the direct negotiations which begintoday, and to the final settlement that will lead to an emergence of anindependent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side, inpeace and security, with Israel, and which should allow for a just, lasting andcomprehensive regional peace, on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions andtaking into account valuable contributions like the Arab Peace Initiative.
Theagreement, which should be reached within a defined period of time, will be afulfilment not only of our hopes for a stable, democratic, peaceful andprosperous
By working closely with the EU High Representative andCommission Vice-President, Catherine Ashton, as well as through the work of theParliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, which bring togetherparliamentarians from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, the EuropeanParliament will remain actively engaged in supporting the ongoing negotiations,through continuous dialogue between the democratically elected representativesof the peoples of the region.
We strongly believe that by building mutualunderstanding and confidence, we will thus be able to contribute to thesuccessful conclusion of the negotiation process which begins today."
