By Nicola Smith - 6th May 2004
Israel has accused the EU of a pro-Palestinian bias in its policies in the Middle East.
Meeting on Thursday with top EU officials in Dublin, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom launched a tirade against the EU for being “partial and pro-Palestinian”, reports Le Monde.
“If you want to fulfil the role of mediator, then you must remain neutral,” he fired at Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten.
All peace accords brokered since the birth of the Israeli state in 1948 had been “thanks to the Americans”, Shalom continued.
The Irish EU presidency defended Europe’s position the Middle East peace process as “totally in conformity with those expressed by the Quartet.”
The international quartet – composed of the UN, US, EU and Russia – backs a ‘road map’ for peace which envisages a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis by 2005.
Questionned on Shalom’s outburst, new French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, who was not present at the meeting, said he could “not see how the EU could be reproached for supporting the road map as it has already been accepted by Israel.”
Shalom’s terse exchanges with EU officials took place in the context of a EuroMed meeting in Ireland, where foreign ministers from Mediterranean rim nations, including Israel and the Palestinian Authority gathered for talks on the Middle East peace process.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.