Eu To Initiate Establishment Of Palestinian State

The Mideastern situation requires taking urgent steps, and the European Union is determined to initiate "a peace process without preliminary conditions," Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian Premier and the incumbent President of the European Council, stated at a press conference summing up the informal EU summit in Ghent (Belgium.) This initiative is based on UN Resolutions #242 and #338. It envisages establishing a Palestinian state provided that the Israeli right to live in peace and security is observed. The initiative has been included as a single point into the summit's declaration on terrorism counteraction. The document reads that "such a settlement should be based on cessation of violence and recognition of the two countries." Guy Verhofstadt admitted that the EU could cope with this mission only if it was supported by the USA, Russia and moderate Arab and Muslim regimes of the region. In the near future, the EU will send to the relevant countries its High Representative for CFSP Javier Solana, as well as representatives of the EU chairman-country (Belgium) and European commission to study the conditions at which the implementation of this mission will be possible.