Gaza ceasefire 'main EU role'
2009-01-01 20:32
Jana Mlcochhova & Mark John
Prague - The European Union's "main role"
is to seek a ceasefire in Gaza, the Czech prime minister said on
Thursday as he took over the bloc's rotating presidency and
announced a diplomatic mission to the Middle East.
Mirek Topolanek said the EU should not be deterred by lack
of progress towards a political solution and the absence of any
major US initiative, as President-elect Barack Obama prepares
to take over from George W Bush on January 20.
"It must not mean that the European Union ... will give up
on organising a ceasefire," Topolanek told Czech TV. "I think
it's our main role in the coming days and weeks."
In taking over the EU presidency from France, the Czechs
assumed a key role in tackling the crisis in Gaza. In a bid to
halt rocket attacks from the coastal strip, Israel launched an
offensive last week that has so far claimed more than 400
Palestinian lives.
Diplomatic mission
Topolanek said he was organising a diplomatic mission to the
Middle East that would include the EU's foreign policy chief
Javier Solana, its External Relations Commissioner Benita
Ferrero-Waldner and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt would take part and
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner would also be invited.
The mission will go to Cairo, Tel Aviv, the West Bank city of
Ramallah - where the Palestinian Authority is based - and the
Jordanian capital Amman, Czech officials said.
The trip will coincide with a visit by French President
Nicolas Sarkozy to the area on January 5, the first by a major
power since Israel launched air strikes on Gaza last week.
"It is overlapping with the trip of Nicolas Sarkozy to Syria
and Lebanon ... I spoke with (Sarkozy) for a long time yesterday [Wednesday] and we dealt with the problem in detail," Topolanek said.
'We cannot count on the US'
He said that, with Bush not taking a leading role on the
conflict, it would fall to Europe to lead efforts.
"The unpleasant thing is that we cannot count on the US
administration... It is up to the European Union to take over
the initiative," Topolanek said. The situation was "kind of
waiting for the new administration of Obama", he said.
The French and Czechs have struck differing tones towards
the violence, with Schwarzenberg, a staunch US ally, defending
Israel's strikes this week.
But Topolanek's comments made clear
Prague backs calls by France and others for a ceasefire, a move
Israel has rejected.