HR Solana to attend London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority, Quartet meeting

Summary: February 28, 2005: Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the CFSP, to attend London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority and to participate in the Quartet meeting London, 1 March, 2005 (Brussels)

Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), will attend the London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority and participate in the meeting of the Quartet for Peace in the Middle East, in London, on 1 March 2005.

The conference will bring together the members of the Quartet, the Group of Eight (G-8), a range of key donors and the Palestinian Authority. The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will also attend. The Palestinian Authority will present proposals on state-building and capacity-building in areas of governance, security and economic development. The meeting aims at assessing mechanisms to help the Palestinians lay the groundwork for an independent, sovereign, viable, contiguous and democratic State. The event will be chaired by UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

The meeting of the Quartet (EU, USA, Russia, UN), will provide an opportunity to review the latest developments in the Middle East Peace Process. It takes place prior to the trip of Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, to Brussels on 2 March 2005, where he will be received by HR Solana.

° ° °

Annexes (3):

List of invited delegations

Fact-sheet - The EU committed to the Middle East Peace Process (February 2005)
Fact-sheet - EU assistance to the Palestinian civil police (February 2005)
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Annexe 1

London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority

List of invited delegations

Palestinian Authority
Algeria
Arab League
Bahrain
Canada
China
Council of the European Union
Egypt
European Commission
France
Germany
International Monetary Fund
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Luxembourg
Morocco
Norway
Oman
Qatar
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Nations
United States of America
World Bank

Annexe 2

EUROPEAN UNION
~FACTSHEET~

THE EU - COMMITTED TO THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

Resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict is a strategic priority for Europe. The EU will remain engaged and ready to commit resources to the problem until it is solved.

1. Israel and the Palestinian Authority - Partners of the EU…

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are partners in the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy, which through its objectives of deeper integration of Euro-Mediterranean partner countries with the EU, will reinforce the objectives of the Barcelona Declaration (see also fact sheet on "Europe and the Mediterranean"). The Action Plans agreed with Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the European Neighbourhood Policy have specific commitments to progress on practical issues relevant to the Middle East Peace Process (such as reform, improvement in economic co-operation, greater mobility of movement). EU leaders regularly engage with their counterparts from the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Javier Solana, the High Representative for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, are in close contact with leaders in the region and travel there frequently.

The EU is involved on the ground, with personnel in Israel and the Palestinian Territories and through the implementation of vital aid and development projects. There is a European Commission Delegation to Israel in Tel Aviv and a European Commission Technical Assistance Office for the West Bank and Gaza based in Jerusalem. The Commission Technical Assistance Office is responsible for managing some €250 million of annual EU-funded programmes in the Palestinian Territories. The EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Marc Otte, is charged with maintaining dialogue with the parties, regional partners and international players. The EU is a key player in the Quartet, alongside with the US, Russia and the UN. Full implementation of the "Roadmap", the internationally supported route to a peace settlement, is a key task.

The EU has backed the PA reform programme and the institution building process since its inception. Linking our support to the PA to specific performance benchmarks has encouraged reform and helped increase transparency and accountability in the administration. Improved budget procedures which resulted from these efforts helped pave the way for the US-negotiated resumption of transfers of taxes and customs revenue collected by Israel on behalf of the PA. The European Council endorsed in November 2004 a short-term program of action, proposed by the High Representative, to support the PA in the fields of security, reforms, economy and elections. The EU has supported the electoral process, and more than 250 EU election monitors were deployed to oversee the recent Palestinian Presidential elections. The EU also supports the PA in the security field through a newly established EU Co-operation Office for Palestinian Police Support. The tasks of this office are to help enhance civil police performance as well as strengthening the rule of law and accountability of the relevant institutions.

2. …with strong economic ties

The EU is the largest donor to Palestinians. The Commission provides approximately € 250 million per year in emergency and development assistance to the Palestinians, including support to Palestinian Authority, via the World Bank Trust Fund and support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In addition to this, EU Member States are also important donors in their national capacities.

The EU co-chairs meetings of the international donor mechanism, the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee for Assistance to the Palestinians (AHLC). The EU is also closely involved in local donor co-ordination, reform task force groups and the humanitarian assistance group.

The EU is Israel's most important trade partner, accounting for one third of Israeli exports and over 40% of Israeli imports, and a major economic, scientific and research partner. Israel was the first and only non-European country to be fully associated to the European Community's Framework Programme for Research and Technical Development. The agreement associating Israel to the 6th Framework Programme (2003-2006) was signed in Brussels on 10 June 2003, and the first results show that Israel continues to play a very active role. Israel also participates in the Galileo satellite radio navigation system; after the US and China, Israel is the third country signing such an agreement regarding Galileo with the EU.

By encouraging regional economic, social, cultural and human co-operation in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership the EU is seeking to encourage integration and mutual understanding among the states and peoples of the region.

Israel and the Palestinian Territories are amongst the first wave of countries with whom the EU has agreed Action Plans in its Neighbourhood Policy. These action plans contain many economic, but also political measures apt to support the peace process:

Broadened political dialogue, allowing for raising issues such as the Peace Process, non-proliferation, and the fight against terrorism;
Promoting good governance and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law;
Combating incitement;
Further facilitation of trade;
Encouraging co-operation in the fields of the environment, water, energy and transport.

In addition, the EU Partnership for Peace Programme aims to help create the conditions for re-launching the peace process by increasing people-to-people contacts and co-operation based on equality and reciprocity between Arabs and Israelis. (For examples co-operation amongst student groups and educational institutions in the fields of health, agriculture, the environment)

3. The way ahead

The EU stands ready to provide additional political and economic support to underpin the peace process. This could take the form of assistance in state-building for the PA, help for refugees, reconstruction assistance and monitoring an agreement reached between the parties (including Syria and Lebanon).

Without a solution of the Arab/Israeli conflict, there will be little chance of dealing with other problems in the Middle East. Through its commitment to peace and in dialogue and co-operation with our neighbours and friends, the EU works to achieve the broader goal of a peaceful, developing region, more and more integrated with Europe.

For more information go to:

The EU's Middle East Peace Process website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/mepp/index.htm
The EU's Euro-Mediterranean Partnership website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/euromed/index.htm
The EU-Israel relations website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/israel/intro/index.htm
The EU's website on relations with Gaza and the West Bank:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/gaza/intro/index.htm
The EU's Neighbourhood Policy website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/index_en.htm

________
February 2005

Annexe 3

EU COUNCIL SECRETARIAT
~FACTSHEET~

25 February 2005

EU assistance to the Palestinian civil police

Support to the Palestinian Civil Police is widely recognised as having the potential to contribute to improving the lives of the Palestinian people by reducing crime and insecurity and helping create the conditions for economic recovery, as well as contributing to the PA's Roadmap commitments to consolidate its security services, and to reform its institutions. The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank from July 2005 intensifies the need for more effective civil policing there. The European Council has declared its "readiness to support the Palestinian Authority in taking responsibility for law and order, and in particular, in improving its civil police and law enforcement capacity" (European Council Conclusions, 17-18 June 2004). The EU Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process (EUSR), Marc Otte, has been tasked with providing such practical assistance. These efforts are part of a short-term programme of action in the fields of security, reforms, elections and economy proposed by EU High Representative Javier Solana and endorsed by the European Council in November 2004.

An EU Coordination Office for Palestinian Police Support (EU COPPS) has been created to draw on member state funding and expertise cleared through the EU Police Unit in Brussels. Its role consists in providing support both for immediate operational priorities, and longer-term transformational change management, by advising the Palestinian Chief of Police and Minister of Interior, liaising with stakeholders, co-ordinating assistance and monitoring progress. The formulation of a Transformational and Operational Plans owned by the PA remains the priority despite pressure for immediate results on the ground. Complementarity with support for reform efforts in the wider criminal justice system should also be assured. Coordination with other security actors, notably Egypt, is also sought. Meetings continue with Donor Community and Third Parties which express an interest in the work of EU COPPS. At a later stage and depending on how the situation develops on the ground, an expanded EU role in police reform and development could be considered, building on the experience gained by the EU in the field of civil crisis management in different regions (such as the Balkans).

The EU COPPS consists of four EU Police experts deployed to the region since the beginning of January, in addition to a local team for the administrative tasks. Within the office of EUSR, this unit is based in East Jerusalem and in Ramallah with a satellite office in Gaza City.

1/ In the short-term, an operational plan is required to deliver urgently needed equipment and training that will enable the police to patrol the streets effectively and deliver better services to the Palestinian people. Objectives include maintaining safety and security for all citizens, reducing crime and the fear of crime, and securing public confidence in the rule of law and the police. Physical needs include vehicles, communications equipment, office equipment, and infrastructure repair.

To this stage, the EU COPPS has already provided the Palestinian Police with 54 equipped vehicles and communication equipments (notably deployed during Presidential elections). Public order equipments and other police vehicles (including specialist vehicles and personal protective equipment) will be provided soon for a total amount of €10 M, in addition to a Police small projects scheme. An audit of the communications infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank will also be carried out by the end of April. EU COPPS is also co-ordinating the refurbishment of Jericho Police Training Centre.

2/ In the medium-term, there is a need to help the police develop a policing strategy, and structures and management capacity to implement it. This needs to be closely co-ordinated with the implementation of the PA's Roadmap commitments on security. It will take time, and requires long-term donor commitment. Objectives would include developing a coherent legislative framework and proper accountability mechanisms for the police, and contributing to restructuring of the Police. Future Projects include conferences and workshops to facilitate transformational planning and involvement of civil society, as well as drug enforcement and training programme (in coordination with UN Office on Drugs and Crime).

Ref: CL05-053EN
EU source: Council
UN forum:
Date: 28/2/2005

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