EU 'dismayed' by Israeli settlement plan
2012-12-10 21:00
Brussels - The EU is "deeply dismayed" by
Israeli plans for new West Bank settlements that threaten peace efforts, which
instead need revived, according to a draft prepared for foreign ministers on Monday.
"The European Union is deeply dismayed by and
strongly opposes Israeli plans to expand settlements in the West Bank,"
said a draft of the conclusions on the Middle East peace process at a one-day
meeting in Brussels.
The plan "would seriously undermine the prospects of
a negotiated resolution of the conflict" since it would question the
viability of the two states supposed to emerge through the peace process, it
said.
On the day it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the EU
"reiterates that settlements are illegal under international law and constitute
an obstacle to peace," it added.
The draft said that in view of recent developments, which
include an unprecedented UN upgrade of the Palestinians' diplomatic status, the
EU believed it was now time to take "bold and concrete steps towards peace."
To this end, both sides must "engage in direct and
substantial negotiations without pre-conditions in order to achieve a lasting
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ending all claims."
The EU also called on the Palestinian leadership to use
the UN upgrade constructively and not take steps which would "deepen the
lack of trust and lead further away from a negotiated solution."
Meanwhile, Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat said
on Monday that the Palestinians were looking to reactivate peace talks with
Israel with the aim of resolving all final status issues within six months.
Erakat told the official Voice of Palestine radio, that
the UN vote meant "a new stage" had been reached, convincing the Arab
world that the peace process could be reconsidered.
Direct peace talks that began in September 2010 collapsed
quickly in a dispute over settlements, with the Palestinians calling for a
construction freeze and Israel arguing for a return to talks without such
preconditions.
Before the start of talks in 2010, Israel observed a
10-month freeze on new West Bank construction but has refused repeated requests
to renew it, dismissing them as an unacceptable "precondition" for
talks.
The Palestinians say it is an "obligation"
under international law.
