Separation wall – Europe says West Bank Wall is Obstacle to Peace – Non-UN document

EU-Israel: Europe Says West Bank Wall Is Obstacle To Peace

Date: Tuesday, 18 November 2003 16:10

Policy Area: General Affairs and External Relations

(ANSA) – Brussels, November 18 – The European Union today expressed its "deep concern at the route" of the wall that Israeli authorities are constructing on the West Bank.

In the final document of the 4th EU-Israel association council, which took place today in Brussels, the EU also said that action to "remove" the president elected by the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat, would be against international law. Furthermore, it stressed, such action "would be counterproductive to efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict".

The bloc's foreign ministers "once again" highlighted that the PNA must "concretely demonstrate its determination" to battle extremist violence. They said it should take steps "as soon as possible" to place all Palestinian security services under the "transparent control of a premier and interior minister with full powers".

Brussels and the Israeli government also expressed their intention to "work together" to improve Israel's image in Europe and vice versa, in order to reach a better, mutual understanding and fight anti-semitic tendencies resurfacing in several EU countries.

by: ANSA