EU, Arabs want final solution to Israel questionBy Stan Goodenough - January 21, 2007
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Sunday all the parties to the Middle East peace process he had recently met with were ready to now re-launch that process because they have the political will to make it happen.Speaking in Amman, Jordan, before leaving for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem Sunday evening, Solana said a final status solution was the goal now sought by the states of the European Union and the Middle East.
Solana has long sought to position himself and the EU – sometimes called the revived Roman Empire – in a more pivotal position in Middle East peace-making and nudge the United States somewhat to the side.
The final status solution he is pushing for contrasts with the approach taken by visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week. She sought Palestinian agreement to the idea of setting up a state with temporary borders in the short term, but this was rebuffed by the PA.Before he left Jordan, Solana heard King Abd’allah stress his belief that the EU should upgrade its role in the peace process. The monarch also expressed the hope that the role of the Quartet, scheduled to meet again on February 2, would be reactivated.
A number of political leaders have publicly expressed their belief that resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict is the key to bringing peace to the Middle East and to the world.Finding a final solution to this question is thus becomeing a top priority for the international community.
