A4-0042/99

Resolution on the Commission communication: 'The role of the European Union in the peace process and its future assistance to the Middle East' (COM(97)0715 - C4-0114/98))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council (COM(97)0715 - C4-0114/98),

- having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338 and 425,

- having regard to its Decisions I and II on the common positions adopted by the Council with a view to adopting regulations amending Regulation (EC) No 1734/94 on financial and technical cooperation with the Occupied Territories (11565/1/98 - C4-0611/98 and C4-0612/98 - 97/0316(SYN) and 98/0220(SYN) ((Minutes of the sitting of 3.12.1998, Part II, Item 3.)),

- having regard to its earlier resolutions on the subject, including those of 24 May 1996 on the 'Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on future European Union economic assistance to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip' ((OJ C 166, 10.6.1996, p. 253.)), 18 June 1998 on the Middle East peace process ((OJ C 210, 6.7.1998, p. 221.)) and 16 September 1998 on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1734/94 on financial and technical cooperation with the Occupied Territories ((OJ C 313, 12.10.1998, pp. 64 and 65.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control (A4-0049/99),

A. whereas the agreements reached at Wye Plantation enabled the peace process to be resumed following a period of deadlock lasting more than 18 months, and demonstrated for the first time that the current Israeli Government is prepared to accept and implement the principle of 'land for peace' which forms the basis of the Oslo agreements,

B. whereas a state of deadlock has been reached over these agreements, owing not least to the political situation in Israel, as a result of which general elections have been called for May and June,

C. expressing the conviction that these agreements can have a useful impact if they are fully implemented by the Israeli Government, if a halt is called to the terrorist activities which are a serious threat to the peace process and if, at the same time, the economic and social development of the territories administered by the Palestinian Authority is guaranteed,

D. pointing out that, even if the Wye Plantation agreements are upheld, the most important issues, such as the determination of the status of Jerusalem, the drawing of borders, the settlements, the status of refugees and, above all, the decision on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, have yet to be settled,

E. whereas, despite the fact that it continues to the leading supplier of economic and financial assistance to the region, the European Union was not involved in the political discussions which led to the resumption of dialogue nor in the undertakings entered into,

F. endorsing the Commission communication's conclusions regarding the need to reorganise the complementary roles played by the European Union and the United States, in respect of both relations with the Israelis and Palestinians and the definition of the responsibilities for international assistance to the peace process deriving from the status of main donor,

G. noting furthermore that the huge sums of money provided to the Palestinian people have not had the impact they were expected to have on the economy of the territories administered by the Palestinian Authority and that, on the contrary, the average income in those areas has fallen substantially,

H. whereas even the partnership agreement concluded with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, acting for the Palestinian Authority, did not have the hoped-for effect of boosting the economy of those territories, mainly because of the administrative barriers set in place by the Israeli authorities and the fact that the Territories have been repeatedly sealed off in response to terrorist attacks,

I. pointing out that the economic and political situation in Jordan is deteriorating as a consequence of the deadlock of the peace process, thus adding further destabilising factors in the region,

J. whereas, in view of this situation, the nature and goals of EU action in the Middle East, as well as the means used to achieve those goals, should be reviewed, notwithstanding the hard and valuable work carried out by the European Union's special envoy for the Middle-East peace process,

K. acknowledging that the shortcomings of EU action are largely the result of the Member States' inability to give practical effect to the common foreign and security policy, and that thus far it has proved possible to reach meaningful agreement only on uncontroversial matters such as assistance with the holding of the Palestinian elections of 1996,

L. with reference to the need, particularly with regard to the critical date of 4 May 1999, for the EU to form a common position,

1. Welcomes the agreement reached at Wye Plantation, since it has got the peace process back on the rails and made possible the resumption of negotiations with a view to the crucial 4 May 1999 deadline;

2. Regrets the fact that the Israeli Government subsequently added new unilateral conditions to the original agreement that have brought the implementation of the accord to a standstill;

3. Considers that it will be difficult if not impossible to start and conclude the third phase negotiations by 4 May 1999, given the complexity of the issues still to be settled and the fact that general elections are to be held in Israel in May and June; notes, however, the positive fact that the 'land for peace' principle is no longer fiercely opposed by Israel's main political movements;

4. Believes that the Palestinians' legitimate determination to declare independence unilaterally by 4 May and what Israel has already stated will be its reaction presage stormy times ahead for the peace process;

5. Considers it essential, in recognition of the basic right of the Palestinians to found their own State, that the international guarantors of the Oslo Agreements solemnly reaffirm their commitment to all the objectives of the peace process, thereby assuring the Palestinian National Authority of the necessary support to justify the extension of the period of application of the provisional agreement beyond 4 May 1999;

6. Urges the Israeli government to abide by the undertaking to release the Palestinian political prisoners but not the ordinary Palestinian criminals who can only aggravate the already tense situation in the territories under the control of the PNA;

7. Draws attention to the fact that the European Union is making and can continue to make an major contribution with regard to important aspects of the agreements' implementation such as the completion of Gaza Airport and the Gaza Industrial Estate, the commencement of work on the port and the opening of 'safe passages' between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as security matters;

8. Recalls that combating all forms of extremism and fundamentalism is a task of essential importance to the success of the current process;

9. Believes however that, while it must be an absolute priority for the Palestinian Authority, the commitment to combat terrorist action against the State of Israel must not lead to a situation in which the democratisation of Palestinian society - which continues to be hampered by restrictions on freedom of expression and human rights violations - is undermined;

10. Hopes that the opposition of the settlers and extremist traditionalist parties will be overcome, thus paving the way for acceptance of the 'land for peace' principle by a majority in Israeli society, which, together with recognition by the Palestinian National Council of the State of Israel's right to security, is the precondition for the pursuit of the peace process;

11. Considers the current expansion of the Israeli settlements to be a serious violation of the peace agreements;

12. Is convinced that the natural outcome of the current process is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and recognition by the Arab world of the State of Israel's existence and its right to security;

13. Notes that in the latest stage of the peace process the United States, which formerly played the role of mediator, has now taken on joint responsibility for implementation of the agreements, while the European Union is not involved in the discussions on the political future of the region nor in any form of control or monitoring role, even in areas which have a direct bearing on the effectiveness of European aid;

14. Considers this to be mainly due to the lack of a common foreign policy, which is preventing the Union from playing a united role; believes that the appointment of a politically authoritative High Representative of the CFSP can help the Union to start playing such a role in cooperation with the Union's special envoy, provided that there is a coherent and comprehensive common policy in place for him/her to represent;

15. Calls upon the Council to take an initiative as a signal to all participants in the peace process including the USA that the EU, over and above its financial role, henceforth assumes enhanced political responsibility in the Middle East, with particular reference to the implementation of the Wye Plantation agreements and to negotiations concerning final status issues;

16. Points out that the European Union and its Member States have for years been the principal supplier of economic assistance to the Territories and that, by preventing a further deterioration of the economic situation in which the Palestinian people finds itself, such aid has beyond a shadow of doubt helped to further the peace process;

17. Regrets however that, notwithstanding the huge sums disbursed, the conclusion of the partnership agreement and the launch of multilateral initiatives such as the Barcelona Process, the economic benefits felt by the Palestinian people have been extremely limited;

18. Considers that swifter action should be taken to ensure that the Commission exerts direct control over the use to which European funds are put, given the unacceptable fact that such funds have been repeatedly misappropriated; supports the Commission initiatives aimed at ensuring total transparency of expenditure and the measures it intends to adopt to this end;

19. Recalls the recent decisions concerning the new programme on financial and technical cooperation with Palestine, particularly as regards informing the European Parliament and the Commission's undertaking to present a new single consolidated legislative proposal for the continuation of the programme after 2000;

20. Calls on the Commission to provide detailed information concerning the financial contributions made by third countries and the international financial institutions to the peace process, Palestine or the other countries of the region;

21. Awaits with interest the outcome of the investigation by the Court of Auditors on the effectiveness and regularity of the European Union's financial support to the region over the last few years;

22. Considers therefore that the policies pursued by the Union in this area should be reviewed, in view of the vital need for financial assistance to be accompanied by practical measures which will give EU action a higher profile;

23. Expresses the conviction that the Union should endeavour to revive political and economic cooperation in the region by approaching all the countries concerned with a view to reaching an agreement on the implementation of practical regional and multilateral development and cooperation projects; considers furthermore that the Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Stuttgart from 4 to 6 April 1999 will provide a good opportunity to promote initiatives of this kind;

24. Considers, in this respect, of the utmost importance, that special attention be devoted to Jordan, whose contribution is fundamental for the positive development of the peace process, by adopting the necessary measures to support its shaky economy and favouring the improvement of the human rights situation and freedom of expression;

25. Hopes that relations between the European Union and Jordan, currently an area of peace and stability, will be stepped up, given that Jordan is an essential element in the peace process and that, at Wye Plantation, King Hussein helped to break the deadlock in the negotiations, thus confirming the value of his unparalleled experience of the Middle East problems;

26. Considers that, given the failure of the initiative for the establishment of a 'Middle-Eastern and North-African Development Bank', the European Union should propose that a new financial instrument be set up, in which all the countries of the region may take part, together with the EU and the United States;

27. Hopes that it will be possible to implement the joint initiative between the United States, the European Union, the Israelis and the Palestinians concerning the design and implementation of practical projects covering, for example, water resources, as also provided in the peace agreement between Israel and Jordan;

28. Considers that the various EU institutions - the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament - can help to further the peace process by promoting and fostering dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and institutions and that the people to people initiatives should therefore be seen as particularly important and should be given proper support;

29. Reiterates its intention to promote initiatives aimed at Israeli and Palestinian mayors and local administrations; considers that projects concerning the Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem should be given priority;

30. Calls on the Commission to set up training programmes for Palestinian Authority staff, focusing on areas such as customs, veterinary and plant-health controls, tax collection and policing;

31. Considers the repeated violations of the 'status quo' of the City of Jerusalem to be unacceptable and calls for respect to be shown for the individual, religious and national identities of the communities living there; hopes that the religious authorities will take a full part in the search for an internationally recognised permanent status for the City of Jerusalem which enables the Holy Places to be managed multilaterally;

32. Considers that an Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 425 would be a positive move which would eliminate a crisis flashpoint;

33. Welcomes the willingness expressed by Israel and Syria to resume the suspended peace negotiations and hopes that they will do so as soon as possible with a view to establishing cooperation based on the common interest which the countries in the region have in ensuring stability and economic development;

34. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Israeli Government and the Knesset and the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council.