The new administration has brought a certain momentum of hope to the Middle East issue and I hope his appearance will help further this
Javier Solana
EU foreign affairs supremo Javier Solana has heralded the new US administration - and voiced hope about the prospects of a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East.
Solana was speaking in parliament on Thursday at an EPP-ED seminar on EU-US relations following the recent election of Barack Obama.
While admitting there were a "lot of ifs and buts" surrounding the outcome of the latest conflict, Solana told MEPs he hoped agreement could be reached by the end of this year.
Solana has just returned from the Middle East to join international efforts to cement a permanent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
His comments in parliament come as the EU steps up humanitarian aid to ease the suffering of the Gaza Strip's 1.4 million residents.
He said, "We want a permanent cease-fire, and for that everybody has to cooperate, and I hope very much the initiatives taken by the Egyptians will provide results.
"If in the current outlook there are any negatives, one is that the divisions in the Arab League towards the conflict remain very profound."
Solana also welcomed Obama’s interview on an Arab TV network earlier this week, saying, "I was there when it was recorded and I can tell you that it was well received. The new administration has brought a certain momentum of hope to the Middle East issue and I hope his appearance will help further this."
Earlier this week, EU development commissioner Louis Michel announced €58m in emergency aid for Palestinians affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Michel was in Gaza on Monday to evaluate future aid needs.
The Israeli assault meant to crush Hamas rocket squads ended on 17 January with an estimated 1300 Palestinians dead.
Around €32m of the aid package will go to alleviate immediate needs such as shortages in drinking water, food and medical supplies. Another €20m will go to projects in the West Bank, the remaining €6m to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
The European commission last month approved €3m in emergency aid for Gaza.
In his address to the hearing, Solana also welcomed the appointment of new Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell, saying, "This is a very important appointment. Mitchell is well known in the region and I hope his appointment will be another important ingredient towards finding a solution."
Obama
Turning to the new Obama administration, Solana greeted the decision to close the controversial Guantánamo jail in Cuba.He told the packed meeting he hoped that EU governments would be "open" to any future US requests to accept prisoners released from Guantánamo.
"If asked by the Americans, I hope there is a positive response," he said.
Meanwhile, the EU will need time to solve the difficult issue of whether to help Obama shut the Guantánamo jail by taking in inmates, the EU’s anti-terrorism chief said on Thursday.
"President Obama said he will need a year to close Guantanamo, it shows how difficult it is," said EU anti-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove.
Kerchove was in parliament to address a meeting of the security and defence sub committee.
"So we should not ask the EU to answer in 15 days, that would not be serious. The ministers will discuss it again," he said after the EU’s foreign ministers were split on this issue when they first discussed it at a meeting on Monday.
A day after being sworn in last week, Obama ordered the closure of the controversial camps where prisoners have been detained for years without charge, some subjected to interrogation that human rights groups say amounted to torture.
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