BRUSSELS, December 22, 2012 (WAFA) – The European Union and Russia Friday called on Palestinians and Israelis to resume negotiations that will be based on clear parameters.
In a joint statement on the Middle East peace process, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “in light of recent developments in the Middle East the European Union and the Russian Federation firmly believe that now is the time to take bold and concrete steps towards peace between Palestinians and Israelis.”
They said that the parties “must engage in direct and substantial negotiations without preconditions in order to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ending all claims, on the basis of UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 1397, 1515, 1850, the Madrid principles including land for peace, the Roadmap, the Arab Peace Initiative and the agreements previously reached between the parties.”
The statement said that “the European Union and the Russian Federation affirm that clear parameters outlining the basis for negotiations are key elements for a successful outcome,” affirming that “there will be no sustainable peace until the Palestinians' aspirations for statehood and sovereignty and those of Israelis for security are fulfilled through a comprehensive negotiated peace agreement.”
The statement called on all parties to avoid acts which undermine confidence and the viability of a two-state solution in direct reference to Israel’s settlement activities, which it said the EU and Russia “are deeply dismayed by and strongly oppose Israeli plans to expand settlements in the West Bank and in particular plans to develop the El area.”
It said that “these plans, if implemented, would jeopardize the possibility of a contiguous and viable Palestinian state,” stressing that “settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace” and that neither party will recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties.
The EU and Russia also called on Israel to avoid any step undermining the financial situation of the Palestinian Authority, such as withholding $100 million in tax funds Israel collects monthly on behalf of the Palestinian Authority for goods imported by the Palestinian business community.
The statement also called on the Palestinian leadership “to use constructively” the new status of Palestine as a non-member observer state in the United Nations “and not to undertake steps which would deepen the lack of trust and lead further away from a negotiated solution.”
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on November 29 to grant Palestine the upgraded status that would allow it to join various UN organizations, including the International Criminal Court.
The EU and Russia also called “for the immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of goods and persons to and from the Gaza Strip, the situation of which is unsustainable as long as it remains politically and economically separated from the West Bank.”
They also called for intra- Palestinian reconciliation behind President Mahmoud Abbas “as an important element for the unity of a future Palestinian state and a two-state solution.”
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