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European Commission welcomes Israel’s decision to lift Lebanon blockade

Updated: 07/Sep/2006 17:53

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations

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BRUSSELS/STRASBOURG (EJP)--- Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations, has welcomed the Israeli announcement that it will lift the blockade of Lebanon on Thursday evening.

I am very relieved that the blockade, which Israel has maintained since the recent conflict, will be lifted today. This action, which is in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, is a key step on the road to normalisation and rehabilitation in Lebanon,” she said Thursday in a statement.

Israel has said that it would lift the air and sea blockade on Lebanon only once it was sure that Lebanon was enforcing an arms embargo against Hezbollah.

According to Israel’s Prime minister’s office, the international community has provided such assurances in the past few days.

“It is important that the Lebanese government extend its control over all Lebanese territory and exercise its full sovereignty. There should be no weapons without its consent and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon,” Ferrero-Waldner said.

European initiative

On Wednesday, Finnish President Tarja Halonen said that Europe must take the initiative in promoting efforts towards a comprehensive peace plan in the Middle East.

Finland currently holds the rotating European Union presidency.

Speaking at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Halonen said all parties concerned must commit themselves to a model involving two secure and viable states - Israel and an independent Palestine - and confidence building must also take place at the grass-roots level, not just between governments.

I believe that if women are actively involved in the peace process, there is a better chance for a sustainable solution, he said.

Also speaking in the EU’s assembly, Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja has pressed Israelis and Palestinians to come back to the negotiating table and urged Syria to be a constructive partner in the region.

We do not have to re-invent the wheel of the peace process, Tuomioja he told the European Parliament.

Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, chairman of the EU Council, addressing the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

“The key lesson learned from the recent crisis in Lebanon was that neither military nor multilateral solutions alone could bring the peace process forward”, he said.

It was also crucial that other countries in the region were willing to work for lasting peace and stability, Tuomioja stressed.
Singling out Syria, the minister said Damascus could either be a constructive partner or a spoiler.

This will also determine the future of the EU’s relations with Syria, he warned.

Settlement expansion

Meanwhile, The EU called upon Israel to initiate a freeze on continued construction and plans for expansion in the West Bank.

“The Presidency of the European Union is disturbed at the news that the Israeli government has solicited tenders for the construction of 690 new housing units in the West Bank settlements of Ma’aleh Adumim and Beitar Illit, an EU statement said.

Any new construction plan endangers the chance for peace and constitutes a violation of international law, the statement said.

The Housing Ministry gave a green light Monday morning for the construction of hundreds of new housing units in the West Bank, the largest such project approved by the Olmert government.