EU High Representative for CFSP meeting with authors of ‘Geneva Initiative’ – EU press release/Non-UN document

S0028/04

Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the CFSP,

met with Yossi Beilin and Abed Rabbo, leaders of the "Geneva Initiative"

Summary transcript of press briefing before the start of the meeting

Monday, 2 February, 2004

Opening remarks:

Javier Solana: We came here to work. I am very pleased to welcome here in Brussels two friends of many years, whom I think are doing a very important work in order to try to bring peace to the region where they live, where they belong and that they love. We think that the "Geneva Initiative" is timely and important. It is an initiative from civil society and it points in the right direction. On behalf of the European Union, I would like to say to both Mr Beilin and Mr Rabbo that they can be sure that we will help as much as possible, as we have already done, with the continuation of the process that should lead to peace and stability in the region. We are going to talk today about that at length and to see how we can continue the co-operation.

Yasser Abed Rabbo: Thank you very much. We are very encouraged by the support we are receiving from the European Union, from different European countries and from governments, as well as civil society, from all over the world. We believe our Initiative represents hope, despite of the difficulties and the deterioration that we are witnessing now in the region. We hope that our cooperation will continue and we are looking for a position, taken by all those who want to see peace in the Middle East, which should be based on the implementation of the Road Map and the implementation of the Geneva Accord as a complementary plan for the Road Map.

Yossi Beilin: I would like to thank Mr Solana for receiving us today. I must tell you that Javier Solana was one of the very few people who was knowledgeable about our Initiative, and who followed our efforts, almost from day one. He was very much involved in the details and wanted us to finish as soon as possible, although it took us three years. We know he is not a novice to our project, not to the Middle East, not to our efforts, not to the small victories and the big failures in which we are living. He never took part in the pessimism about the future of our region, even in the darkest moments we found in him a ray of hope. I believe that our small contribution to get out of the current situation – when, regretfully, the Road Map is not moving – this effort of the Geneva Accord, may perhaps open a new door in a very difficult hour. So, this is our hope and we are sure that the European help and friendship will continue, as Mr Solana himself said right now.

Javier Solana: I think that the "Geneva Initiative" is perfectly compatible with the Road Map and in fact it may help not only to implement it but to resolve its last phases. I do not think that it is fair to say that there is a contradiction, these are two things which can be very complementary.

On the "separation wall" and the role of the International Court of Justice:

Javier Solana: The European Union, through the Irish Presidency, will make a démarche repeating our position on the wall. You know very well what our position on the wall is. We think that the wall will not contribute to peace. We will maintain our position.

On the importance of an active role by civil society:

Yasser Abed Rabbo: We depend on the power of public opinion. We want to convince our people and we are also engaging in dialogue with different political forces in order to have a change, through democratic means, in the official positions. Our hope is to bring both parties, the two governments, to official negotiations. We are introducing the Geneva Accord as a model for a final status agreement. We believe that this model, which was based on the previous experiences and negotiations, could represent a comprehensive, detailed and agreeable model for all parties to start a new era and a genuine peace process.

Yossi Beilin: Both of us got about 40% support in his constituency, it is much beyond our rosiest expectations, and I think that if the world refers to the Geneva Accord very seriously as an option, then it will be possible for us to increase support at home, because the support at home is the most important thing for us. If the support at home becomes higher and higher, if there is a very clear majority, then the policies in the region will be changed. We believe that with such meetings, with a very serious attitude of the EU, of the US, and of other countries to our initiative, it will become the most important point of reference in the peace process and people will look at it as a realistic option to be implemented in the near future, because we do not have too much time.

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