Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the Middle East Quartet report

EU News 247/2016

08/07/2016
Council of the EU

The European Union reiterates its firm commitment to the two-state solution and its existing policies, as set out in its successive Council conclusions, and its concern about the growing threats to that solution.

The European Union therefore welcomes the publication of the Middle East Quartet's report and endorses its recommendations as a contribution to creating the conditions for the two-state solution. The EU expresses concern at the trends on the ground and calls on the parties to swiftly engage with the Quartet and other relevant stakeholders and implement the recommendations in full. Such implementation would demonstrate a genuine commitment to a peaceful solution by rebuilding mutual trust and creating the conditions for direct and meaningful negotiations that resolve all final status issues. The EU stands ready to support the parties in this process. In this regard, it emphasises the importance of close coordination with the follow up to the Ministerial meeting on the Middle East peace initiative in Paris on 3 June 2016, with a view to an international conference as identified in its conclusions of 20 June. The EU also endorses the call for further dialogue on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative and its vision for achieving a comprehensive peace.

The EU will continue to work with its Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, along with the Quartet and other stakeholders, in the region and beyond, in order to make progress towards a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution.

Source and additional information:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/07/08-declaration-eu-quartet-report/

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