EU DEFENDS NO SHOW AT M.E.T

EU's Ashton defends no-show at Mideast peace talks
SEPT 10,10 10 AM

BRUSSELS (AFP) – EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, under fire for not attending Israeli-Palestinian talks last week, on Friday said her decision in no way reflected a priority shift for the 27-nation bloc.Ashton, appointed last December to strengthen the EU's profile and leverage on the diplomatic front, came under criticism for the no-show in the European Parliament this week -- a stand shared by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.I chose, rather than being in the second row on the White House lawn, to be at the heart of our discussions in China, she told journalists at the start of a two-day informal EU foreign affairs meeting, known as a Gymnich.Her talks in China, where Europe is hoping to build a strong strategic partnership, opened really significant and important opportunities, she said.We are engaged in the Middle East peace process, she added. We want to see this moving forward, we have a very very strong and clear role.The September 2 meeting in Washington between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was the first for 20 months.The historic tete-a-tete wound up with the pair agreeing to hold twice-monthly meetings, a move viewed as positive for peace by analysts.

Ashton's absence therefore irritated MEPs and diplomats.How can we justify our absence at the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating table given we are the region's biggest donors? said a conservative leader at the European Parliament this week.
Stepping into the two-day Brussels talks, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn was of like mind.China is very important but in the future the EU must show its face, he said.If we weren't visible to begin with then we must show we are a strong actor,he added.We must show that not only the Americans can find adequate solutions, and that without the EU there will be no definitive solution.It's humiliating to keep repeating that the European are donors, he said. We have a role to play in the governance and economy of the Palestinians, an area where Europeans have more sensitivity than the Americans.But Finland's Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb defended Ashton, saying she is expected to be in 50 different places every day so you're going to have 49 people who are going to be upset. She made the correct decision in this particular case.

Gaza militants fire on Israel after overnight raids
– Fri Sep 10, 5:40 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Militants in Gaza fired a projectile into southern Israel on Friday just hours after Israeli warplanes carried out a series of raids across the coastal strip, a military spokeswoman told AFP.She said it was not clear whether it was a mortar round or a rocket which slammed into the Shaar HaNegev area close to Gaza's northeastern border with Israel. It caused no injuries or damage.At least six rockets or mortar rounds have been fired across the border since Monday in what has become a near daily occurrence.Overnight, two Gazans in the Hamas security forces were wounded in Gaza City when Israel launched a series of retaliatory air strikes after an earlier rocket attack, Palestinian witnesses said.Israel also mounted air strikes in the north and in the southern border city of Rafah, targeting a smuggling tunnel. No one was injured, witnesses said.The raids came after a rocket and mortar round were fired into southern Israel on Thursday, causing neither damage nor casualties.

The latest violence comes as Israel marks the second and last day of Jewish New Year and as Muslims in the West Bank and Gaza Strip begin celebrating the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.Hamas, the radical Islamist movement that rules Gaza, has reined in rocket attacks by militants since the end of Israel's devastating 22-day offensive against the coastal territory in January 2009.However since the start of 2010, militants have fired more than 100 rockets or mortar rounds into southern Israel, the army said.

Lebanese speaker warns relaunched talks could raise tensions
– Wed Sep 8, 1:54 pm ET

BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon's parliament speaker warned on Wednesday that the relaunched Middle East peace talks could raise tensions on the border with Israel and ignite clashes in Palestinian refugee camps.These talks will no doubt cover (Palestinian) refugees, water and oil in the region, speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement.All of this may... ignite clashes inside Lebanon's refugee camps and affect security in the south, said Berri, an ally of Lebanon's Islamic militant Hezbollah movement that opposes the peace negotiations.Lebanon has not issued an official reaction to relaunched peace talks in Washington last week that marked the first direct negotiations in 20 months between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.They are due to meet again on September 14 in Egypt in a series of meetings to be held every two weeks that negotiators hope will lead to a final peace agreement within a year.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates Lebanon today houses 400,000 Palestinians, but Lebanese officials estimate a figure of 300,000.A dispute over a patch of trees last month ignited a border clash between Lebanese and Israeli troops that killed two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist as well as a senior Israeli officer.

Israel eyes impound of ships breaking Gaza blockade By Dan Williams and Jonathan Saul – Wed Sep 8, 5:58 am ET

JERUSALEM/LONDON (Reuters) – Anticipating fresh bids by pro-Palestinian activists to sail against its Gaza Strip blockade, and hoping to avoid a repeat of its bloody boarding of a Turkish aid ship in May, Israel has turned to maritime law.Israeli officials say vessels will be warned in advance that they face costly impoundment and the possible detainment of crews -- a strategy first floated in July when the threat of such action helped turn a Libyan-chartered ship away from Gaza.The legal approach proved effective as a deterrent, and we're prepared to see it through as a punishment, said one senior government official, declining to be named.If we are to pay a price for defending the blockade, the other side will pay a price for challenging it.Israel triggered world outcry in May after its forces killed 9 Turks in brawls aboard the Mavi Marmara, a converted cruise liner that tried to lead an aid flotilla to impoverished Gaza, whose 1.5 million Palestinians are ruled by Hamas Islamists.Israel says its blockade is needed to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel.Maritime specialists say international law allows a sovereign nation to seize a vessel that runs a declared blockade. That could discourage firms renting out ships to pro-Palestinian campaigners but, arguably, less so in cases like the Mavi Marmara, where the activists buy the ship outright.

Many ship owners will look at the possibility or likelihood that their vessel will be impounded or fined or seized outright,said J. Peter Pham, a strategic adviser to the U.S. and European governments.Those are losses for which they are not insured and for which the non-governmental groups are not going to make good on for them.

THREATS AT SEA

In July a charity belonging to one of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's sons chartered the cargo ship Amalthea for a Gaza aid run. Israeli media aired recordings of the navy warning the captain he would be held responsible for any showdown at sea.
According to Israeli and Libyan officials, a dispute ensued aboard the ship over where to dock. The captain and crew prevailed, taking the Amalthea to El Arish in nearby Egypt.Israeli authorities, through the navy, threatened legal action against the ship, said Alex Angelopoulos of Greece's ACA Shipping Corp, which owns the Amalthea.The threats were taken into consideration, but the decision (to change course) was taken after long talks with the ship's charterers, he said, adding that were the ship impounded it would mean losses of some 5,000 euros ($6,350) a day.

Another Israeli official said permanent confiscation of ships was out of the question.It would simply be untenable both legally and practically. But we can exert pressure by virtue of the fact that a ship owner stands to lose a lot of money for each day of temporary impoundment in Israel, not to mention the long-term cost of the vessel going rusty and neglected,the official said.The Israelis say they are bracing for possible new Gaza flotillas by groups from Lebanon, Europe and the United States.Activists might be willing to lose their ships if they thought their actions would bring them global publicity or dent Israeli prestige -- as happened with the May flotilla. But some shipping experts doubt whether impoundment could be a feasible long-term solution for Israel. The real question should be: how long can Israel detain the ship? My guess is not long without positive proof that there was something more than humanitarian aid on board, said John Dalby, chief executive of maritime asset recovery firm MRM. Daniel Reisner, a former commander of the Israeli military's international law department, said he knew of no legal basis to try foreigners specifically for violating the Gaza blockade.In general, the more innocent the cargo, the more this diminishes the chances of a prosecution, he said.

Of the seven ships in the Mavi Marmara flotilla, four remain berthed in Israel after the three Turkish-owned vessels were returned unconditionally as a fence-mending gesture to Ankara.Israel's Defense Ministry said unspecified private entities had sought to reclaim two of the impounded ships but had yet to furnish proof of ownership. The remaining two ships have gone unclaimed while Israel tries to locate their owners.It's a double-edged sword: if you have no hope of recovering the actual impound fees then you are stuck with a boat that you neither want nor will be able to get rid of easily,said Pham.

Peace in Middle East will not come quick : Obama
– Tue Sep 7, 2:37 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that progress towards peace in the Middle East would not come easily, or quickly, despite the launch of direct Israeli-Palestinian talks.In a message marking the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, Obama said, however, that developments in the region had given rise to new hopes of peace.At a time when Israelis and Palestinians have returned to direct dialogue, it is up to us to encourage and support those who are willing to move beyond their differences and work towards security and peace in the Holy Land, Obama said.Progress will not come easy, it will not come quick, but today we (have) an opportunity to move forward, toward the goal we share -- two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.The scripture teaches us that there is a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. In this season of repentance and renewal, let us commit ourselves to a more hopeful future.Obama also told American Jews in the message that at a time when prejudice and oppression still exist in the shadows of society, their country must stand as a beacon of freedom, tolerance and diversity.The United States last week oversaw the first direct talks in 20 months between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.They are due to meet again on September 14 in Egypt in a series of meetings to be held every two weeks that negotiators hope will lead to a final peace agreement within a year.

Gulf states welcome Mideast peace talks relaunch
– Tue Sep 7, 6:28 am ET

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) – Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers have said they welcome the relaunch of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks but warned that Israeli acts of aggression may compromise them.The ministerial council welcomes... the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations... in hope that the talks (which were relaunched) in Washington will lead to... the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, a statement said.

But after a meeting in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah on Monday night, the six ministers warned that continuing acts of aggression by Israel could undermine efforts to restore peace and stability in the region.Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas resumed direct negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Thursday, 20 months after he broke them off when Israel launched a devastating offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.The Arab League gave its backing to the Palestinian president's decision to relaunch the talks but last week the 22-nation bloc's secretary general Amr Mussa noted widespread pessimism in the region about their prospects.On Iran, the Gulf ministers said they were following developments in the standoff over its controversial nuclear programme with deep concern.They said they hoped Iran would cooperate with diplomatic efforts to allay suspicions about its intentions.They supported the right of countries in the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes... under the standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency,and called on Israel, which has the region's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, to apply those standards as well.The ministers called on Iraqi leaders to form a national consensus government... away from any sectarian or ethnic considerations and foreign interference.Six months after an inconclusive general election, Iraqi leaders remain at loggerheads over the formation of a new governing coalition.

Washington has called on them to form a national unity administration that ensures representation for all of Iraq's ethnic and religious groups.Iraqi politicians have blamed meddling by neighbouring countries for the deadlock, in what has been widely seen as an allusion to regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.The GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Israel PM sees deal possible in year: spokesman
– Mon Sep 6, 2:16 pm ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told visiting U.S. congressmen he thinks it could be possible to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians in a year despite huge differences, his spokesman said.Netanyahu told the visiting delegation that he believes it possible, through such direct and contiguous negotiations, held without breaks or delays, to achieve a peace agreement within a year, spokesman Nir Hefez said on Monday.Netanyahu said he thought a goal of the Quartet of Middle East power brokers -- the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia -- to agree on the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, was attainable, Hefez added.The next round of Israeli, Palestinian negotiations was scheduled for September 14 in Egypt, followed by a session expected on the following day, possibly in Jerusalem and in the attendance of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.In an interview with a Palestinian newspaper, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would not continue the negotiations with Israel if Jewish settlement construction resumed once a temporary hiatus expires on September 26.You must know that if you do not continue the settlement halt, we will leave these negotiations,the al-Ayyam newspaper quoted Abbas as saying he had told Netanyahu in their talks.If the freeze is not extended...there will not be any negotiations, Abbas said.

Netanyahu was under pressure from right-wing cabinet ministers to renew construction in occupied land Palestinians seek for a state.Some officials see a possibility of construction resuming in certain settlement blocs so as to keep the Israeli government intact, though Palestinians have not publicly said they agreed.(Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Ramallah)(Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Michael Roddy)