Middle East Peace Process
September 4, 2007
The European Union has reiterated its position of avoiding direct dealings with the radical Islamist group Hamas, which violently took control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June.
"I would like to repeat the EU position: there will not be any contacts between the EU and Hamas," said EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana at a press conference on Monday after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
The European Union, Israel and the United States consider Hamas a terrorist group. Russia, which is also part of the Middle East Quartet, maintains contact with the organization.
"It is part of the policy of the Quartet," Solana said. "You know very well what Hamas has to do in order to change that policy."
The Quartet -- made up of the EU, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- demands that Hamas recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by past peace agreements.
Solana is currently touring the Middle East to prepare a major international Middle East peace conference later this year. Solana said it was crucial to restart the peace process and that the EU would help and cooperate as much as possible in preparing the event.
"We don't know exactly when the conference will take place, but it must be a success," he said. "We cannot allow it to fail and we must therefore define success."
EU condemns rocket attacks on Israel
Militants in Gaza have launched at least nine Gaza-made qassam rockets at southern Israel since Monday morning, one of which struck near a nursery school in Sderot. Solana said he condemned the attack on the school.
According to Solana, Israel would continue to have support from the 27-nation EU in fighting Hamas-led attacks.
"Sometimes we do not agree 100 percent on exactly how to combat it, but we offer our full solidarity with Israel in its efforts to fight terrorism," Solana said.
Solana continued on to Jordan from Israel for a working dinner with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib on Monday. The two men agreed that the international conference on the Middle East, proposed by US President George W. Bush "should be preceded by good preparations," an official statement said.
On Tuesday, Solana holds similar talks in Lebanon and Egypt.