Mr President, the publication of the Roadmap on 30 April offers a new opportunity to try to resolve a conflict which has led to seven wars in 50 years. If you will allow me, I believe we must distinguish between the Roadmap, which is an itinerary, and the journey itself. I would like to refer to a poem, which the High Representative will know well, by a great poet, Antonio Machado, who said that ‘the path is made by walking’. The Roadmap may exist on paper, but what we have to do is to create the whole path with an objective which, for the first time, the whole Quartet, and not just certain countries, recognise. The international community believes that there must be a firm and definitive peace agreement based on the existence of two democratic and sovereign states, living together in peace within secure and recognised borders, and even accepting that, for the moment, a divorce may be better than living together. I would also like to point out that this is achieved by moving forward together and not by vetoing. And just as, in the previous debate, I criticised the fact that the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Sharon, did not receive the High Representative when he visited the Middle East, I also believe we must ask the next President—in-Office of the Council, the Italian Prime Minister, when he goes to the Middle East, not just to visit Israel, but also the Palestinian Authority. Our strength lies precisely in our ability to talk to everybody. I also believe we must stress elements which can help the Roadmap, the joint path, to move forward. For example, the Palestinian Authority has taken steps: the reform of the Finance Ministry, the creation of the post of Prime Minister and the support of the Legislative Council. We must not only talk about the Quartet, moreover, but also about those governments which, like Egypt, are making a very significant effort to contribute to the process moving forward, and above all to achieve, together with the Palestinian militia organisations, a break in hostilities; and I believe that the meeting of the Quartet in Amman on the 22 is an important step that we must support. It is clear that Hamas must leave behind the use of indiscriminate violence and that we must appeal to it and consider including it on the list of terrorist organisations unless things change. We must also ask the Israeli Government, which has the most strength in political, moral and military terms, to fulfil its part of the Roadmap, dismantling the illegal settlements in the occupied territories and putting an end to the policy of selective assassinations. With regard to the steps which must be taken, I believe we must encourage perseverance. We must also – and in this regard I would point out that Commissioner Günter Verheugen has just been in Israel – tell our Israeli friends that we are prepared to intensify our relations at all levels, as long as they also want to do so and are prepared to treat us as we deserve, particularly in view of the political will we have demonstrated. With regard to this process, all we can ask for is perseverance, to seek the possibility of helping these two peoples to move forward together, and an immense dose of patience. And in this regard, at a time when Ambassador Moratinos is on the point of finishing his mission, I believe it should be noted in the Minutes that this group thanks him, as does the whole of Parliament I hope, for the tireless work he has done over all these years. And I would like to end, Mr President, with two brief references to two issues which have also been dealt with by the High Representative and by the Commissioner. Firstly, our relations with Iran. I can only say that the Socialist Group supports intensifying these relations, opening up a new stage of significant relations in the economic and political fields with a young but at the same time very ancient country, with a dynamic and vibrant country, which also wants to open up its society, as is currently being demonstrated by what is happening with the students. We all have experience of the importance of student revolts and demonstrations; they are always an omen of what may happen within society, and I believe it is important to help Iran to find its way as a country. Therefore, as well as signing up to the additional protocol of the Atomic Energy Agency, I also believe that we can contribute to increasing stability in the region, because we must point out that this region needs stability. What it does not need are new points of conflict, because we are facing a multiplication of points of conflict from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean rim. What we have to do in this regard is to put fires out and not generate new ones, and the role of Iran may be very important. Finally, a very brief reference to Operation Artemis. We Europeans have historic responsibilities in Africa and the step taken by the European Union in the Congo is a positive one. Let us not forget that there are masses of conflicts. We have the case of Liberia, for example, which is also currently experiencing civil war. I believe that we in Parliament must dedicate all our resources to the European Union taking a step, which it has taken for the first time on its own, demonstrating that it has the capacity to re-establish normality in a continent to which it owes an enormous historical debt. (Applause)

Political group: PSE