Madam President, President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, I am not going to insist on the seriousness of the situation or of the escalation. However, I would like to insist on what Commissioner Patten has said: the violence has not perhaps reached the level it could reach. Sometimes we say ‘things cannot get any worse’, but in this case the situation could get worse. Therefore, our obligation is not only to resolve the problem but, of course, to prevent it getting any worse. However, apart from the fact that we are trying to put an end to the violence by means of dialogue, I believe that I should add certain aspects, directly related to human rights, to what previous speakers have said. Of course, the fact that there are innocent victims represents a direct attack on human rights. It is therefore necessary to point out specifically and to insist, both to Israel, which frequently uses disproportionate State force, and to the Palestinians, who do not control their activists, that human rights are continually being affected. I believe that the European Parliament should currently be sensitive to the fact, condemned by certain NGOs, that four Palestinians may be executed if Yasser Arafat does not commute the sentences handed down for internal activities within the Palestinian area or for collaboration. I believe that this Parliament should try to prevent these executions. Recovering dialogue: I would like, in the time available to me, because everything is getting worse and, of course, the Durban Conference has merely exacerbated the situation, to mention what I believe are the eight issues to which we should lend clear support. Firstly, I believe that the priority should be to resolve the problem of impartiality. I agree that impartiality is not the same as equidistance, Mr Barón, I agree with you. I believe that impartiality is a necessary concept, but in politics impartiality is often not achieved without equidistance. Therefore, equidistance may be an instrument, although I do not doubt that the objective is impartiality. I believe that it is urgent and important to recover impartiality towards everybody, in particular towards Israel. Secondly, we must clearly insist on the mission of impartial observers from the European Union. Thirdly, the Mitchell report must continue to be the direction we take. There is no other, at the moment at least. Fourthly, we must prevent the inappropriate use of the Barcelona Process for the Middle East conflict. The Barcelona Process suffers with the Middle East Conflict but it is not the appropriate course for resolving that conflict. Fifthly, we must insist on the need for the United States and Russia to participate. The sixth issue is that we must clearly promote as far as possible every type of contact, as is happening at the moment. The seventh issue is that the actions of the Ministers, of the Commission and of the Council must be aimed at promoting dialogue between Mr Arafat and Mr Peres, between Palestinians and Israelis. And in this regard, Madam President, we keenly await the report to be presented by Mr Solana and which Mrs Neyts-Uyttebroeck has announced. Finally, and here I agree with Mr Barón Crespo, any symbol is positive; any possibility, such as the opening of Orient House, is positive; anything which will stop the conflict escalating is important and the essential thing is to return to peace and dialogue.

Political group: ELDR