By Martin Banks - 2nd September 2010
We are not arguing about the importance of the meetings that Ashton is having in China
Mario David
The EU has come under fresh attack for its "absence" from the crunch Middle East peace talks in the United States.
Speaking on Thursday, Portuguese EPP deputy Mário David, who chairs the parliamentary delegation to the Mashreq countries, criticised EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton for not being at the talks which started on Wednesday in Washington.
He said, "Despite all the changes in the treaties and the announcement that the EU wants to play a leading political role on the international scene, when it comes to real business, the EU is not present."
"We are not arguing about the importance of the meetings that Ashton is having in China, but this could have been easily postponed to enable the EU to play its role in the Middle East process," said David.
"If the EU wants to play an international role compatible with its political and economic weight, it must clearly understand its priorities.
"We certainly welcome this US initiative and we wish it success, but we recall that both previous US attempts and the quartet role have been a total failure."
"The EU authorities seem happy by simply playing the role of major donor to soften the burden of those suffering the consequences of this continuous tragedy."
"We regret that the EU's ambition does not push it to play a pivotal role in trying to find a long-term solution to one of the world's most critical conflicts: guarantee a safe Israel and build a dignified Palestinian state," David said.
A spokesman for Ashton strongly refuted the criticism, saying that the China trip had been planned well in advance of the talks.
A detailed statement said the Beijing trip was "very important" due to upcoming discussions by EU leaders on a strategic partnership with China and in order to build personal relations with her Chinese counterpart, Dai Bingguo.
Meanwhile, parliament president Jerzy Buzek welcomed the resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Polish MEP said, "We welcome the resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to resolve the final status issues. While we condemn to the utmost the deadly attack that killed four Israelis in the West Bank, we are encouraged by the declared determination of the parties not to allow any acts of violence to derail the hope of a negotiated peace between the two peoples.
"Parliament stands ready to give all its support, at every step of the way, to the direct negotiations which begin today, and to the final settlement that will lead to an emergence of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side, in peace and security, with Israel, and which should allow for a just, lasting and comprehensive regional peace, on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and taking into account valuable contributions like the Arab peace initiative.
"The agreement, which should be reached within a defined period of time, will be a fulfilment not only of our hopes for a stable, democratic, peaceful and prosperous Middle East, but most of all, of legitimate expectations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples."
He added, "By working closely with Catherine Ashton parliament will remain actively engaged in supporting the ongoing negotiations, through continuous dialogue between the democratically elected representatives of the peoples of the region."
"We strongly believe that by building mutual understanding and confidence, we will thus be able to contribute to the successful conclusion of the negotiation process which begins today."
