Netanyahu speech a step forward, EU foreign ministers say (Roundup)

Jun 15, 2009, 15:59 GMT

Luxembourg - Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's acceptance of the two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict is a step in the right direction but does not go far enough, European Union foreign ministers said Monday.

On Sunday Netanyahu gave conditional support to the idea of a Palestinian state for the first time since he took office.

Meeting in Luxembourg, the EU's foreign ministers said in a joint statement that they 'welcomed the initial step ... of commitment to a peace that would include a Palestinian state.'

The EU 'urges both parties to take immediate steps to resume peace negotiations, respecting previous agreements and understandings,' the declaration said.

Netanyahu's speech acknowledged the need for a separate Palestinian state and a freeze on settlement-building other than that cause by 'natural growth,' moves which Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called a 'promising message.'

But the EU statement said that the bloc 'remains deeply concerned by settlement activities' and urged the Israeli government to 'immediately end settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem and including natural growth.'

'Settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace,' it said.

EU ministers were also concerned by Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians have no army, be denied the power to sign treaties with Israel's enemies such as Syria and Iran, and recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.

Those conditions are 'not what the EU expects,' Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou said.

Nonetheless, the EU's top diplomat, Javier Solana, stressed that Netanyahu had 'gone further than ever' on settlements, and suggested that 'the other things he said in the speech belong ... more to another phase of the negotiations.'

And EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said that Netanyahu's speech was a 'first important step forward' which gave 'hope for peace in the Middle East.'

A year ago, EU foreign ministers agreed in principle to strengthen their ties with Israel in a so-called 'upgrade' on issues such as trade, travel and educational exchanges.

But they quietly sidelined that decision following Israel's December assault on the Gaza Strip.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said that Netanyahu's speech was not enough on its own to justify implementing the upgrade.

After the foreign ministers' meeting, EU diplomats were set to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liebermann on Monday evening in Luxembourg.