By Martin Banks - 16th June 2011
Trust is missing in the Middle East
Jerzy Buzek
The European parliament's president Jerzy Buzek has urged both sides in the Middle East conflict to return to the negotiating table.
Speaking at the end of an official trip to the region, the Polish MEP said, "I stressed that the Arab spring creates a new context in the region and makes a historic peace deal ever more urgent.
"In my opinion, both sides made it clear that they are committed to negotiations as their preferred option, regardless of the remaining gaps between their positions."
The visit comes in the wake of the latest European initiative to get Middle East peace talks back on course.
Earlier this week, Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman dismissed EU peace efforts in the region as "naive".
Concluding his trip to the Palestinian territories and Israel, Buzek said, "The message I understood from the talks is that the international community can now play a decisive role in getting the negotiations started without delay.
"Trust is missing in the Middle East. The international community should help to ensure that the dreams of peace do not turn once again into broken illusions."
He added, "I told Israeli prime minister Netanyahu that the EU discourages unilateral action on both sides, as it undermines confidence and makes negotiations more difficult.
"I urged him to show true leadership and start negotiations with the Palestinians with the aim of achieving a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders with mutually agreed land swaps."
In his speech to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Wednesday, Buzek said, "The need for progress on the Middle East peace process is more urgent than ever. Nobody can afford the status quo."
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