Post by bot on Jun 8, 2004 23:11:58 GMT -5
Israel-Palestinian clash, not Iraq, the "mother of all conflicts" : EC chief
www.eubusiness.com/afp/040608185209.9u5nzjht
08 June 2004
European Commission chief Romano Prodi warned Tuesday the Middle East would never know peace without a solution to "the mother of all conflicts" raging between Israel and the Palestinians.
Prodi welcomed a deal on Iraq's future expected to go to a vote at the United Nations within hours, ahead of the Group of Eight summit of industrialised nations here.
But he signalled that despite reaching a deal over Iraq, Europe and Washington were still at odds on the best approach to the Middle East.
His remarks appeared to represent scepticism at a US "Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative" on forcing democratic change in the Arab world being showpieced at the summit here over the next three days.
"It is the end of a long period of difficulties inside the Security Council and I hope that it will start a period of strong cooperation," Prodi told reporters on a draft resolution before the UN Security Council.
But he argued that despite easing its divisions over Iraq, the Western world never be secure unless a lasting and fair solution was found to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"There is only one conflict," Prodi said.
"The mother of all conflicts is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The big conflict is still there," he said, arguing that it was at the origin of all the divisions between the Arab world and the West.
Senior US officials have already rejected calls to put the reform drive behind efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the faltering pace of peace talks were separate matter.
"What we are not accepting is the notion that that is an excuse for failure to reform elsewhere," a US official said Monday on condition of anonymity.
Prodi admitted, that given the looming US election in November and political pressure on President George W. Bush not to be seen pressuring the Israel, no breakthrough was likely soon.
"If you ask me whether there is the high level of probability whether we can find a solution before the American election, I would say, no,"he said.
www.eubusiness.com/afp/040608185209.9u5nzjht
08 June 2004
European Commission chief Romano Prodi warned Tuesday the Middle East would never know peace without a solution to "the mother of all conflicts" raging between Israel and the Palestinians.
Prodi welcomed a deal on Iraq's future expected to go to a vote at the United Nations within hours, ahead of the Group of Eight summit of industrialised nations here.
But he signalled that despite reaching a deal over Iraq, Europe and Washington were still at odds on the best approach to the Middle East.
His remarks appeared to represent scepticism at a US "Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative" on forcing democratic change in the Arab world being showpieced at the summit here over the next three days.
"It is the end of a long period of difficulties inside the Security Council and I hope that it will start a period of strong cooperation," Prodi told reporters on a draft resolution before the UN Security Council.
But he argued that despite easing its divisions over Iraq, the Western world never be secure unless a lasting and fair solution was found to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"There is only one conflict," Prodi said.
"The mother of all conflicts is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The big conflict is still there," he said, arguing that it was at the origin of all the divisions between the Arab world and the West.
Senior US officials have already rejected calls to put the reform drive behind efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the faltering pace of peace talks were separate matter.
"What we are not accepting is the notion that that is an excuse for failure to reform elsewhere," a US official said Monday on condition of anonymity.
Prodi admitted, that given the looming US election in November and political pressure on President George W. Bush not to be seen pressuring the Israel, no breakthrough was likely soon.
"If you ask me whether there is the high level of probability whether we can find a solution before the American election, I would say, no,"he said.