Sommaire: 13 September 2008, Cairo - Javier SOLANA, European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), visited Cairo on 13 September 2008 during a three-day tour of the Middle East that also included Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Jordan. He had meetings with President MUBARAK, Foreign Minister Abul GHEIT and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr MOUSSA. The following is an edited summary of his remarks to the press at a joint press briefing with Mr MOUSSA:
"It is a great pleasure for me to be back in Egypt. The purpose of this trip is to take stock with all the important players in the region before we go to New York for the UN General Assembly, when a lot of important meetings will take place in the margins of the General Assembly and the Middle East Peace Process will be at the centre of many meetings, in different formats.
I have had meetings with President Abbas and others, I have had meetings in Israel and today I have met President Mubarak, Foreign Minister Gheit and Amr Moussa here at the Arab League. Tomorrow, I will meet the King of Jordan.
If you ask me how I feel, I have already said that, realistically, we have to recognise that what I expected to see achieved by now has not been achieved. But I think that, with a certain sense of optimism, we can say that from here to the end of the year something can still be achieved if we all work together and pursue the ambition that we all have, which is peace. We believe that the peace process is fundamental and that it has to be comprehensive. We have some indications that the Syrian
track has seen some progress, and there may be some movement, if not rapid movement, and this contributes to the impression that something can be achieved. In any case, the EU continues to be fully committed - more committed than ever, if that is possible - from now to the end of the year, because we very much want to see a solution. We continue to follow the situation and to be engaged, with all our energy, to try and push the process forward.
We have to keep on working in the Annapolis process, which has now been going on for nine months. We think that something has been moving, if not at the pace we would like. There is calm now, the situation is better than a year ago, and the Egyptian contribution to this is very important.
Settlements are a very important issue, which has not been resolved and is getting worse. I have discussed this everywhere I have been and we have to see how we can stop the growth of settlements because this is going to be a very important element, not only to achieve peace but to have the perception, for the people, that something is happening on the ground.
On the ground, some other things are taking place. I think that on security, the Palestinian Authority has worked very well. Everybody has recognised this. Everybody has recognised the efforts made in Jenin and other places.
But the most important thing is that the negotiations are not moving at the speed we would like, although I do not want to say that nothing will be achieved from now to the end of the year. We still have the possibility of achieving something, Will that mean a final agreement? I don't know. The probability is not very great but we can put on the table things that will continue to maintain the momentum, the dynamics."
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