EU stands by Arafat, urges Israel to end clampdown
Palestine-European Union, Politics, 1/29/2002

European Union foreign ministers urged Israel yesterday to recognise the Palestinian Authority as a necessary partner in the quest for Middle East peace, according to a draft statement of their Brussels talks.

But the EU also said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, criticised by the United States for failing to rein in Arab militants, must do more to curb "terrorist networks".

"Israel needs the Palestinian Authority and its elected president, Yasser Arafat, as a partner to negotiate with both in order to eradicate terrorism and to work towards peace.

Their capacity to fight terrorism must not be weakened," the EU said.

"The Palestinian Authority...must do everything to put an end to terrorism and the armed intifada (uprising), dismantle all terrorist networks and arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of terrorist acts," the ministers said in their draft statement.

They also repeated their call to Israel to pull its military forces out of Palestinian areas, halt its extra-judicial killings and lift its economic blockade on the Palestinians.

Sweden earlier in the day openly criticised the US stance towards Arafat and said it risked exacerbating regional tensions.

Over the weekend, US President George W. Bush said he was disappointed with Arafat's efforts to date in trying to halt the violence, sparking fears in Europe that Washington has all but given up on the Palestinian leader.

"I think it is very dangerous if the United States is supportive of the Israeli government and of the confrontation (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon has tried to use in the latest weeks instead of supporting peace talks," Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh told reporters on arrival in Brussels.

"The only way to go forward is to continue the peace talks, and if we deny Arafat and deny the Palestinian Authority we just increase the tensions in the region," Lindh said. "I think that is extremely worrying," she added.

European External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten echoed her concern, though he did not cite the United States by name.

"We can't just wish away either side in this (Middle East peace process)," he said in televised remarks.

"There is no alternative to the Mitchell plan," he added, referring to proposals by an international panel led by ex-US Senator George Mitchell last year for a ceasefire to be followed by confidence-building measures and renewed peace talks.

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine called for continuing EU engagement in Middle East peacemaking, telling his colleagues: "This is no time to give up."

A senior Palestinian official, meanwhile, called the Bush administration's recent criticism of Arafat unacceptable and likely to increase support for extremists on both sides.

Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian cabinet minister and chief negotiator, said comments by US President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney would only make the situation between the Palestinians and Israelis worse, and called on Washington to resume its peace mediation efforts.

"The talks we have been hearing from the administration will only increase the support of those extremists on both sides who want to sabotage everything," Erekat told CNN from Ramallah on the West Bank.

Cheney said on Sunday that Washington was deeply disappointed by Arafat's "inability or his unwillingness to control the terrorist threat launching from Palestine against Israeli civilians."

Erekat said the Bush administration's comments and position would not help reduce the violence and urged Washington to get actively involved in trying to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

In a related development, Israeli police shot dead an unarmed Arab who ran over a policeman near Tel Aviv yesterday in an incident that heightened tinderbox tensions a day after a fatal Palestinian bomb attack in Jerusalem.

Previous Stories:
  Arafat confers with Moratinos   (1/22/2002)
  Arafat discusses with Fischer, Solana latest developments in Palestinian territories   (1/2/2002)
  Arafat confers with Moratinos   (12/21/2001)

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