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European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, the Italian member of the EU's executive arm.
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JERUSALEM/BRUSSELS (EJP)---European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Transport, who is on a 4-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, said Monday Europe needs to play a leading role in the Mideast peace process.
"Europe needs to play a leading role in the peace process, guaranteeing Israel its right to survive. No one can deny Israel its right to exist in freedom. At the same time we would like to see the establishment of a Palestinian State governed by moderates," said Tajani following meetings in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz.
"Europe wants to reinforce the Palestinian Authority which it deems as the interlocutor while Hamas in breaking the ceasefire cannot be considered so,” the Italian Commissioner said.
Tajani said that Hamas missed an historical opportunity in opting for confrontation by breaking the cease-fire with Israel.
He added: “The European Union needs to ensure that funds destined for the reconstruction of the Gaza strip are used exclusively to help the Palestinian people and not by radical elements for other purposes.”
The Commission Vice-President added that "it is necessary to help those Arab states that believe in the peace process while blocking terrorists from gaining from malcontent and the inexistence of a stable situation in the Middle East".
During his meeting with Minister Mofaz, where the two discussed EU-Israel transport relations, Tajani proposed to revitalise the idea of a "common office for transport" between the EU, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which was welcomed by his Israeli interlocutor.
Tajani will visit Ramallah, in the West Bank, on Wednesday for meetings with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Palestinian entrepreneurs.
Space Conference
Tajani’s visit in Israel reflects the enhanced relations between Israel and the European Union in the fields of transportation, aviation and space. The Commissioner will discuss increasing Israeli participation in European space programs and will be the guest of honor at the opening of the Fourth Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, organized by the Israel Space Agency and the Fisher Brothers Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies.
He will also visit the leading companies of the Israeli aerospace industry.
Israel is participating in the European space project "Galileo", which is working on a system of geographical locating using satellites that rivals the GPS system, and the Copernicus project, which is developing observation satellites for the environment and border monitoring.
In addition, Israel participates in European Space Agency (ESA) projects and expects to sign a cooperation agreement with the agency later this year. Israel was also invited to join the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) initiative, which is developing a management system for air transportation.
The purpose of the current talks is to boost the participation of Israeli industries and research institutions in these projects.
Tajani, who is responsible for Europe's aviation policy, will discuss with Mofaz Israel's desire to upgrade its relations with Europe in the field of transportation, especially with regard to signing an overall aviation agreement between the two parties.
Mofaz and Tajani signed last month in Brussels an aviation agreement that laid the foundation for an open-skies policy between Israel and Europe.