| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 20.4.02 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 20/04/2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Over the course of spring 2002 the world has witnessed the situation in the Middle East deteriorate. The suffering of hundred of Arabs and Israelis in Jerusalem and the West Bank has highlighted the urgent need for a solution to the long-standing problem in the Middle East. In this context, the European Union is increasingly seeking a role in the peace brokering process. Not only is it keen to see peace and stability brought to this area not far from its own borders but the situation also offers the European Union the opportunity to carve itself a role as a more powerful player on the global stage.Such ambitions were made clear at the Barcelona European Council on 16 March 2002 in a declaration on the situation in the Middle East, which stated,
However, many commentators have questioned the ability of the European Union at this stage to play a leading role in resolving such a deep, complicated and long-running conflict. Most believe that the European Union will once again have to find its voice by echoing that of the United States. Background
The origins of the conflict in the Middle East can be traced back to the period after World War One when the League of Nations granted Britain a Mandate over Palestine. However, this solution proved unworkable because of the competing claims of Zionism and Arab nationalism and so Britain referred the problem to the United Nations in 1947. In November 1947 the United Nations called for the partition of Palestine into an independent Arab state and an independent Jewish state. Jerusalem was to be a corpus separatum under a special international regime administered by the UN. Following Britain's withdrawal in May 1948, the State of Israel was declared, and, immediately it sought to extend its control beyond the boundaries envisaged in Resolution 181 leading to heavy fighting which ended in 1949. In 1964 the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was formed and in its charter it called for the elimination of Zionism in Palestine. In the "Six Days War" in 1968, Israel gained control of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Desert. The UN responded by calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "territories occupied in the recent conflict", for the termination of all claims, and for recognition of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area. In 1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel. Again following UN intervention, disengagement agreements were reached in 1974, leading to some demilitarisation of the Golan Heights. In 1979 an Egypt-Israel Treaty (based on 1978 Camp David negotiations) brought peace between Israel and Egypt, and returned the Sinai to Egypt. In November 1988 the Palestinian National Council declared a Palestinian state followed by a statement by Yasser Arafat in December 1988 which renounced terrorism and affirmed Israel's right to exist, opening the way to dialogue with the United States. Ina historic step forward, all parties met face to face in Madrid in October 1991 following US efforts and a peace process was launched. There were four key strands to the peace process:
The structure of the current peace process is almost unchanged although it is the "Palestinian" track which tends to dominate the headlines. The European Commission's DG External Relations outlines the multilateral track. MidEast web also offers a series of documents charting the Middle East conflict.
The European Union first affirmed its basic official position on the Middle East situation at the Venice European Council in June 1980, recognising the 'traditional ties and common interests which link Europe to the Middle East'. In the Venice Declaration on the Middle East the European Community, as it was then, expressed its concerns at "the growing tensions affecting this region" saying they,
In response to this need, the Member States agreed that,
This statement clearly outlines the EU's position which has been reaffirmed numerous times since at General Affairs Councils of Foreign Ministers and at several European Councils, notably in Berlin, Cologne and Helsinki in 1999 and in Feira; Biarritz and Nice in 2000. From this basic position, the European Union plays both a political and economic role in the peace process. Political Role The European Union fulfils a political role in the peace process in several ways:
Economic Role In the economic sphere, the European Union contributes perhaps more to the Middle East Peace Process than any other organisation. It is consistently the largest donor of non-military aid to the MEPP providing an average of €179 million a year over the past six years in direct support of the Palestinian Authority, refugees and regional Peace Process projects. This, coupled with indirect support to the Peace Process (bilateral and regional aid) to Israel's four neighbouring countries means the EU provides more than €810 million a year in EC grants and EIB loans . In addition to helping Palestine, the European Union was the first trading partner and major economic, scientific and research partner of Israel as well as being a major political and economic partner of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. It also offers bilateral economic and financial cooperation to all parties involved in the MEPP (except Israel due to its high GDP level), through the MEDA Programme of the EU budget. As one of the main instrument of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, this aims to create the conditions for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. The EU's Growing Role Although the EU has undoubtedly played a political and economic role in the peace process over the last two decades, it has not been at the forefront of negotiations, that position has been occupied by the United States. The Camp David summit organised by President Clinton in July 2000 made significant progress in moving the process forward although there was no agreement. This was later followed by the decision at Sharm-el-Sheikh to establish a group to report on the situation and a set of talks at Taba in January 2001 brought the sides closer together. In fact, the EU did play a greater role at Taba where Migual Moratinos and his aides were the only team of outsiders present and they produced what is seen as the only official document from the talks. Following on from Taba, the Mitchell Committee presented its report on 21 May 2001 and this was accepted by all the parties and strongly endorsed by the EU and US. The need to implement the Mitchell package in full kickstarted more diplomatic efforts. However, in the time it had taken for the Mitchell Committee to prepare its report the Bush administration had come to power and it made clear that neither Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, nor the US was bound by what had been discussed at those negotiations. With the change of power in the US, the potential for the EU to play a bigger role in the Middle East appeared to grow as President Bush was keen to concentrate on domestic policies. Moreover, Yassir Arafat increasingly urged the EU to become more involved in the Middle East Peace process and this was echoed by calls from the Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who said in June 2001 that the EU should play a "more prominent role than the one that is currently hardly noticeable". Indeed, European security officials did help Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Authority implement a ceasefire with Israel in June 2001 following suicide bomber attacks by Hamas and in September 2001 Miguel Moratinos, played an important part in mediating an end to Israel's reoccupation of parts of Beit Jala, the Palestinian-ruled town. Although the EU still lacked the US level of leverage and also the trust of Sharon, these efforts represented, as one Financial Times journalist put it,
The Current Situation The events of 11 September 2001 have had a clear impact on the situation in the Middle East and to some extent have turned President Bush and his administration's attentions on to the region. This coupled with the escalation of violence caused by an increased number of Palestinian suicide attacks and Israel's response of combating this terrorism through a military campaign have once again highlighted the need for international efforts to find a solution to the problem. Meeting at Laeken in December 2001 it was quite clear that the European Union felt on the one hand under pressure from the US to isolate Arafat and yet on the other frustrated by the lack of Washington's efforts to resolve the crisis. However, the EU maintained in its declaration on the situation that Arafat was needed by Israel "as a partner to negotiate with in order to eradicate terrorism and to work towards peace". It also supported a UN resolution for a third-party monitoring mechanism in the area that was vetoed by the US. Following on from this assertive stance, the EU, led by France, sought to launch a new peace plan in February 2002. The plan suggests that the deadlock could be broken by Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Authority seeking a fresh mandate through elections. Germany have also suggested that the Palestinians first hold a referendum based on three elements: agreement for a Palestinian state, an end to violence and a new mandate for peace negotiations with Israel. Although Javier Solana, High Representative for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, continues to remind the Member States that above all else they must speak with one voice, there are tensions between agreeing a co-ordinated EU line and individual Member States, often with historical interests in the region, pursuing individual initiatives. Nevertheless, efforts do reflect the increasing role the EU and its Member States are prepared to take in the Middle East peace process. However, their efforts were somewhat hampered by the escalation of violence in March 2002 and the further deterioration in negotiations. Faced with the difficult situation the EU have been able to make little progress and recognise the need for US input. To this end they increased pressure on Washington in early April 2002 to present a coherent policy on the Middle East with a general consensus that different views are being presented throughout the administration. While the US President, Henry Kissinger, one infamously said "When I want to speak with Europe, who do I call?" Europe seems to be facing that dilemma with the US now, with one European official recently commenting that when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict they do not know to whom to turn in Washington. Following this pressure, Bush intervened in the situation in the Middle East on 5 April 2002 and with it won the EU's co-operation for US efforts. In a statement on 8 April 2002, President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, said,
This support was reinforced in a meeting on 11 April 2002 in Madrid when representatives from the UN, Russia, the US and Europe met to discuss the Middle East conflict and presented the Palestinian Authority and Israel with a united front. In a declaration issued by the group they called for an immediate ceasefire, for Israel to withdraw immediately from the Palestinian self-rule areas, and for Mr Arafat to unequivocally denounce suicide bombers. Conclusion As the Middle East conflict continues it is clear that the EU does have a part to play and is increasingly developing it's own voice. It may not yet have the necessary weight to act on its own but it has succeeded in putting pressure on the US to intervene in the crisis. Moreover, while it may therefore be recognising that the US is the only power capable of playing a leading role it does demonstrate that the EU is beginning to take on some responsibilities in foreign affairs. Furthermore, Palestine and other Middle East countries are increasingly seeking its involvement. If the EU is not too ambitious then it could find some success in terms of its Common Foreign and Security Policy in the Middle East and more importantly help to bring an end to the suffering on both sides. Further information within European Sources Online:
Further information can be seen in these external links: Further and subsequent information on the subject of this In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'Middle East' in the keyword field. Helen Bower Background and reporting on the week's main stories in the European Union and the wider Europe. |
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| Countries / Regions | Middle East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
