Visit of Condoleezza Rice – Transcript of press conference – European Commission press release/Non-UN document (excerpts)

Visit of Condoleezza Rice
Transcript of Press Conference

Brussels, 9 February 2005

Jose Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission 

Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Commissioner for External Relations and New Neighbourhood Policy

Condoleezza Rice
US Secretary of State

Visit of Condoleezza Rice

Brussels, 9 February 2005

President Barroso: Good afternoon. Today I and Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner had the pleasure of receiving the United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, as part of the preparation for President Bush’s visit to the European Union on February 22nd.

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Yesterday, in the Middle East we saw real signs of hope for a new opening for peace between Israel and Palestinians. I strongly welcome the truce declared by Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It is my hope that this will lead to a definitive end to years of violence in the Middle East and put us back on the path towards a lasting peace.

Let me now give the floor to Secretary Rice, and after that to Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner. Both have just returned from the Middle East and will surely have more to say on this and on other topics of our very constructive and friendly meeting.

Secretary Rice: Thank you. I'm very pleased to be here at the European Commission. Thank you very much, President Barroso. Thank you very much, Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner.

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We then talked about the many issues on the European…EU-U.S. agenda: the fact that the President will have an opportunity to talk about Afghanistan, about Iraq and about the broader Middle East. And we spent a good deal of time talking about the challenges and the opportunities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And Benita was saying that I think we were literally tracing each other's steps through the Middle East over the last day. And that just shows that the European Union and the United States are going to be very strong partners as we try and realize the opportunities before us in the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

We were remarking at how impressed we were with the fact that both Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas seemed to understand the historic opportunity before them, that this is a moment for optimism in what has been a longstanding and long-simmering conflict, but recognizing that we have not been able and the parties have not been able in the past to seize opportunities that have been before them.

We have pledged to work to redouble our efforts this time to see if we can bring about the conditions that will allow this to succeed. That includes the work that we will do at the London conference, at which the EU will be represented at that conference to help the Palestinians build the institutions of democracy, build the security institutions that can be a reliable security force for the Palestinian Authority, and, of course, work on the reconstruction of the Palestinian territories, most especially, first, Gaza, but also the West Bank, and to do that in a way that helps to ensure a peaceful and effective withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza and the four settlements in the West Bank, as the Israelis have, in their historic decision, decided to do.

We look forward to a meeting of the Quartet very soon, most likely at the time of the London meetings, where we — the EU, the United Nations and the Russians are the members of the Quartet — so that we can look at the task ahead of us and begin the process of getting back onto the Road Map, which is, after all, the reliable guide to President Bush's vision, but really our common vision of two states living together in peace, Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side in peace.

Thank you very much!

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner: May I say, good to see you here, Condi; good to see you here as the Secretary of State. After Washington, it's really a pleasure to have you here.

Like you, I'm just coming back from the Middle East, as you said, and there we did really see the most positive developments since many years. The EU and U.S. — and I agree with you — share a commitment to peace in the region based on the two-state solution.

And as members of the Quartet, each of us will play our parts in making this goal a reality. Israel and Palestine have both — we have to say that — taken great risks for peace.

Now, what we have to do is to help them to stay the course and to see off those who resist change or who trust guns more than words. President Abbas needs to help to demonstrate that choosing peace brings tangible improvement in living conditions. On the other hand, the Israelis must make their contribution by allowing greater freedom of movement for the Palestinians and their goods. And the Palestinian leadership must rebuild confidence by consolidating the security measures already taken: destroying terminals, collecting illegal weapons, and so on.

So, let's be clear. Yesterday's declaration is only a beginning. It must lead us, as you very rightly said, to the longer process to implement the Road Map. We very much welcome the clear indications that United States intends to engage fully in this process. We, in the European Commission, will continue to offer also political and financial support, as we have done for over a decade. So, for instance, only for the year 2005, we have allocated 250 million euros to support the next steps in the peace process.

The EU and the U.S. share the objective of bringing stability and prosperity not only in Israel and Palestine, but also across the wider, broader Middle East. That is why we have done quite a lot to support the elections in Iraq and we'll continue also to support the political transition this year.

I know that journalists don't like to let facts get in the way of a good story, but the truth is EU-U.S. differences are routinely exaggerated and our common objectives stay on the plate. So I, for one, am looking forward to working as an effective partner of the United States and of you, dear, Condoleezza Rice.

Thanks.

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