European Parliament resolution on the Middle East peace process
Date: 2000-01-20
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Middle East, peacekeeping

C 304/202

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

24.10.2000

Thursday 20 January 2000

Calls on the Commission to devote particular attention to projects designed to restore a high-quality

8.
environment in sensitive areas which will be submitted to it under the LIFE programme;

9.
Calls on the Commission to take all the requisite steps to ensure that those affected are informed
promptly about the European Funds assistance available and that such assistance is granted speedily; calls
on the Commission to submit practical proposals to the European Parliament and the Council if it finds
that the funding available for such assistance is inadequate;

Expects the Commission and the European Union to implement measures linked to an overall strat-

10.
egy of combating the greenhouse effect;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the parlia-

11.
ments of the Member States.

4. Peace process in Middle East

B5-0024, 0025, 0027, 0033, 0035 and 0075/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Middle East peace process

The European Parliament,

+ having regard to its previous resolutions on the Middle East peace process,

+ having regard to its resolution of 6 October 1999 (1) on the Sharm-el-Sheikh agreement and relaunch-

ing the Middle East peace process,

+ having regard to the Syrian-Israeli peace talks held in Shepherdstown, USA, from 3 to 10 January

2000,

+ having regard to UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338, 425 and 520,

A. whereas the peace process has been given fresh impetus by the decision of the Israeli and Syrian

Governments to resume the negotiations interrupted in March 1996,

B. whereas these negotiations are dealing with the key issues, such as the Israeli withdrawal from the
Golan Heights, security arrangements, water, the normalisation of relations between the two countries
and the timetable for the implementation of any agreement,

C.

considering the positive impact of the Sharm-el-Sheikh agreements on the peace process,

D. whereas the European Union fully supports these talks and is ready to help the negotiators should

they so wish,

E.

considering the forthcoming visit of the President of the European Parliament to the region,

1. Welcomes the Sharm el-Sheikh agreements; requests that the negotiations between the Israelis and
the Palestinians move forward in accordance with the deadlines laid down in the agreements;

2.
Praises the major boost in favour of peace given by all the parties; reaffirms the necessity of achiev-
ing a fair, global and lasting peace in the area which guarantees the legitimate security aspirations of all the
countries of the region, especially Israel, underlining that a future Palestinian State must be viable to com-
pletely ensure Israel’s security;

3.
Recalls that many difficult issues still stand in the way of a permanent peace, such as the creation of
the Palestinian State, the final drawing of borders, the status of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refu-
gees, the distribution of water and the Israeli settlements; and hopes that the political will expressed up to
now by both parties will overcome these obstacles and that the international community will give its full
support to help and assist both parties; undertakes for its part to give every support to both parties in the
peace process;

(1)

‘Texts Adopted’ of that date, Item 19.

24.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 304/203

Thursday 20 January 2000

4.
Believes that the negotiations initiated in Shepherdstown between Prime Minister Barak and Foreign
Affairs Minister Faruk al-Shará hosted by President Clinton could be a fundamental step towards achieving
definitive peace in the Middle East and also hopes to see progress on the humanitarian issues that stand
between the two countries;

5. Welcomes the fact that Israel and Syria are endeavouring to agree a peace treaty in the near future
and to resolve their disputes in order to establish normal peaceful relations between the two countries, and
hopes that the Lebanese government will shortly join the negotiating table; believes that all non-Lebanese
forces must withdraw from Lebanon as stressed by UN resolutions 425 and 520, so as to ensure the
region’s stability;

Calls on all countries of the region to support the peace process and to fight against any violence,

6.
most specially terrorism, which might undermine these efforts;

7. Welcomes the forthcoming Conference of the Multilateral Peace Progress Steering Committee, which
is expected to take place in Moscow on 1 February 2000, and hopes that it will serve as a powerful tool to
achieve sustainable peace in the Middle East;

8.
Notes that the commitments of the European Union in the region in financial terms must be
balanced with a clear presence in the political field, without detriment to the discreet and efficient partici-
pation of the EU representative Ambassador Moratinos; in this sense, believes that the European Union
should be involved in all the negotiations of the peace process;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to actively promote every project which might help

9.
to build understanding and partnership between the peoples of the region;

Stresses the importance of democratisation, respect for human rights and the rule of law as well as
10.
the importance of regional cooperation and integration in accordance with the spirit of the Barcelona
process, in which Mediterranean and European countries cooperate in regional projects in order to pro-
mote long-term peace and stability in the Mediterranean basin;

Points out, finally, that any definitive peace agreement must be guaranteed not only by the parties

11.
involved, but also by the international community;

12.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Israeli Govern-
ment, the Knesset, the Syrian Government, the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Coun-
cil, the Lebanese Government, the Jordanian Government and the Egyptian Government.

5. Multiannual guidance programmes for the fishing fleets (1997)

A5-0096/1999

European Parliament resolution on the annual report to the Council and to the European Parlia-
ment on the results of the multiannual guidance programmes for the fishing fleets at the end of
1997 (COM(1999) 175 + C5-0109/1999 + 1999/2112(COS))

The European Parliament,

+ having regard to the Commission’s annual report (COM(1999) 175 + C5-0109/1999),

+ having regard to Rule 160 of its Rules of Procedure,

+ having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A5-0096/1999),

A. pointing out that an appropriate resource conservation policy is an essential requirement in order to

guarantee the future of a profitable and competitive Community fisheries sector,

B. whereas the priority aim of the multiannual guidance programmes is to establish a balance between

available resources and the fishing effort by the existing Community fleet,