December 9, 2005

A POSITIVE MEETING IN BARCELONA BETWEEN SANIORA AND AL-SHARAA STRESSES THAT SHABAA FARMS IS LEBANESE. THE BARCELONA SUMMIT: DIFFERENCES ON THE RIGHT TO RESIST AND AGREEMENT ON A EURO-MED CODE OF CONDUCT ON COUNTER-TERRORISM. ISRAEL THREATENS TO BOYCOTT THE EU AS A BRITISH REPORT UNVEILS ITS ACTIVITIES IN AL-QUDS. Lebanese Foreign Minister Fouad Saniora and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Sharaa agreed to open a new page in Lebanese Syrian ties, during their meeting on the sidelines of the Euromed summit in Barcelona. Sharaa said that President Bashar Assad will be happy to hear about the outcome of his meeting with Saniora. The Syrian official touched on the occupied Shebaa Farms and confirmed it is Lebanese, and signalled that his meeting with Saniora was based on the mutual respect to the independence of both countries apart from any foreign interference in their internal affairs. Sharaa said "We look forward that our European partners offer real support to implement UN resolutions that would eventually lead to the Israeli withdrawal to the fourth of June 1967 borders, including the Syrian Golan and occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms as well as the establishment of the Palestinian State with Jerusalem its capital." Saniora also said "The Shebaa Farms are Lebanese and we will follow up this process, thus affirming that we will work on liberating the Shebaa farms from the Israeli occupation. Every centimeter that would be liberated would be in the interest of both Lebanon and Syria." Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Saniora told Future TV Station that Foreign Minister Farouq Al Sharaa will announce during a speech at the summit that the disputed Shebaa Farms area is Lebanese. Both Lebanon and Syria pledged on Monday at Barcelona Summit to open a "new page" in their ties, nine months after the murder of former PM Rafiq Hariri poisoned the relationship between Damascus and Beirut. The joint pledge came following talks between Syria's Foreign Minister and Lebanon's Prime Minister, held unexpectedly on the sidelines of a meeting of European leaders with their Mediterranean-rim counterparts in Barcelona. "We have embarked upon a new phase in our relations," Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Sharaa said after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora. "We want to open a new page," he said, adding that Syria "wants to see security and stability in Lebanon." Saniora agreed progress had been made. "We want to have healthy and strong relations between the two countries," he said. Al-Sharaa said "Syria is committed to collaborating with the international commission of investigation and resolved to uncover the truth behind the assassination ( of Hariri), as both Syria and Lebanon, as neighbouring and independent peoples, have a major interest in doing so," he said. Al-Sharaa added that both countries were allies "whose common interests are unlimited." Al-Sharaa stressed that Damascus stood firm with its insistence on "a total Israeli withdrawal to the frontiers of June 4, 1967, including the Golan Heights and the Shabaa Farms, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Arab Jerusalem as its capital." Once Shebaa farms are confirmed by all concerned that they are Lebanese territories, then the next step is to disarm all militias in Lebanon. The Lebanese army will become the only entity that is responsible for defending all our borders. Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh stressed Beirut will form a highly experienced team to collect documents and evidence that prove occupied Shebaa Farms is Lebanese. He said that these documents will be presented to the United Nations. There must be a strategy to confirm these documents and later present them to the United Nations in order to affirm the Lebanese identity of the Shebaa farms. The UN organization has to adopt what we present to it in agreement with Syria. If the UN or its representative, Terje Roed-Larsen decisively considers that the Farms is a Syrian territory then this does not bind us with anything. We maintain that the Farms are a Lebanese territory and Syria also maintains the same. So we have to prepare documents to prove to the UN that what it concluded was wrong and that it has to correct this error. Sharaa and Saniora confirmed that liberating Shebaa farms is in both countries' interest. Sharaa told reporters that he focused during the meeting with Premier Saniora on the importance of independence for the two countries and rejection of any foreign intervention in their internal affairs. He added that he and Saniora agreed to enhance the bilateral relations in different economic, trade, investment, culture and tourism fields. The Foreign Minster told reporters that "the two countries have opened a new page between them, and President Bashar Al-Assad and the Syrian leadership will be happy about what they will hear regarding this meeting I have held with Mr. Saniora ... and we welcome the Lebanese Prime Minister in Damascus." Sharaa asserted "the depth of the relations with the sisterly Lebanon. The two countries have common understanding on everything ... Above all, we are brothers and neighbors, and their national independence is important for both of them." For his part, Prime Minister Saniora said the Lebanese do not deny what had Syria done to end internal strife in Lebanon and prevent the division of the country as well as getting rid of the Israeli occupation. Saniora described his meeting with Sharaa as very good, adding that things have returned to normal ... we and Syria are two sisterly countries and peoples ... and the relations will remain excellent and distinguished." He added that "all things will be solved in a quiet way very soon." The meeting was attended by Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh, Syrian and Lebanese ambassadors in Madrid Mohsen Bilal and Samir Mubarak. Both the Syrian and Lebanese sides expressed their satisfaction over the results of the meeting which was held between the Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Sharaa and the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora on the sideline of the Euro-Mediterranean summit in Barcelona, Spain as a step towards opening a new page in bilateral relations. Saniora stressed the desire to establish "healthy and good relations ' with Syria for the interests of the two states and Lebanon will work for liberating Shabaa farms from the Israeli occupation. On the other hand leaders from the European Union, North Africa and the Middle East had failed to agree on a "common vision" for future ties - but issued a joint statement vowing tougher moves to combat global terrorism. In another partial success for the E.U., Arab governments agreed to work for political change, democracy and women's rights, and to cooperate with Europe on curbing illegal immigration. While Euro-Med meetings could not resolve differences between Arabs and Israelis, they could produce "practical results", British Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters. Agreement on a Euro-Med code of conduct on counter-terrorism was a significant achievement of the summit, said Blair, who chaired the meeting. Britain is current president of the 25-nation E.U. The two-page code commits both sides to strengthen cooperation and coordination to respond to the global challenge of terrorism. Both sides vowed to exchange information on a voluntary basis on terrorists and their support networks and to refuse asylum to terrorists. They also promised to work within the United Nations to conclude an international agreement on terrorism, including a legal definition of terrorists' acts. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joined forces to denounce terrorism, saying extremist violence in the Middle East was an obstacle to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Both leaders, joined by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, also said the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would help boost peace and security in the region. E.U. monitors are supervising Palestinian border guards in Rafah. Blair, speaking at a news conference with Abbas, said there was a strong "united wish" by the international community to establish a viable Palestinian state. It was important that the democratic process to create such a state was not disrupted by violence, Blair told reporters. The 35 nations adopted a five-year work programme extending a decade-old economic, political and cultural partnership into sensitive areas of security and combating illegal migration. But the first Euro-Mediterranean summit failed to agree on a common vision statement because of differences over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that proved as intractable as at the first ministerial conference in 1995. After two days of wrangling, leaders abandoned attempts to agree a common definition of terrorism, kicking the issue back to the United Nations, but condemned it "without qualification" and vowed to step up cooperation to fight it. "It's as strong a statement as you can possibly have on the unified determination to fight terrorism in all its forms," Prime Minister Tony Blair, who co-chaired the two-day summit, told a news conference. None of the 10 Mediterranean partners was on the platform. The final compromise omitted both the EU's insistence that self-determination could not be used to justify terrorism and Arab demands to include a right to resist foreign occupation. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told Reuters the outcome was "very positive". The fact most Arab leaders stayed home was due to domestic concerns or ill health and "was not meant to be directed against Spain or against Europe," he said. The work programme reaffirmed the unfinished aim of creating a free trade area by 2010 and committed the EU to progressively open its markets to agricultural produce and services from Mediterranean countries as well as industrial goods. Blair noted that it committed partners -- Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey -- to extend political pluralism and women's rights, and to hold free and fair elections. Almost all EU leaders came to Barcelona but only two Mediterranean partners -- Turkey, a candidate for EU membership, and the Palestinian Authority, dependent on European financial assistance -- sent their top leaders. EU leaders sought to finalise the anti-terrorism code of conduct with the second and last day of a summit clouded by the absence of most Arab leaders. Discord over the definition of terrorism has marked the gathering and tensions bubbled over late Sunday when an Algerian minister lashed out at EU demands for reform in exchange for more money at the meeting in Barcelona. "We find it humiliating that the Europeans demand reforms from us in exchange for a few euros," said Abdelaziz Belkhadem as the summit opened to mark the 10th anniverary of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Ministerial-level delegations sat up until the early hours trying to make headway ahead of a final conference, European diplomatic sources said, but their efforts could not disguise the discord. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, co-hosting the gathering as current EU president, had hoped to re-invigorate the Euromed alliance, focusing notably on fighting terrorism and cutting illegal immigration. Blair was to hold a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts, including Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, in an attempt to salvage a concrete result to announce to the final conference. Agreement on a Code of Conduct on countering terrorism was blocked notably by Arab states' demands for a reference justifying "resistance movements" in the final text. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the sticking point was a question of wording, insisting that all sides agreed on the fundamental need to fight terrorism. "We have all suffered from terrorism, whether its at Sharm-el-Sheikh, Madrid or London," he said. "Cooperation between countries on the north and south (of the Mediterranean) in the fight against terrorism is total." Solana also downplayed the absence of most Arab leaders at the summit of the bloc with its Mediterranean-rim partners, as talks resumed. "The important thing is not the spokesman, but what the spokesman says, and what the countries will say," Solana said. "There was a very constructive and positive atmosphere last night. I hope this constructive tone will continue today," he said. But European Parliament head Josep Borrell said that Arab leaders' presence "would have presented a stronger political commitment," adding that "some absences were justified, others less so."The Euromed partnership brings together the 25-nation EU with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. Only Palestinian chief Mahmud Abbas and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan led highest-level delegations to the summit. Abbas took advantage of the opportunity to have talks with Blair at which both scented some progress following last week's opening of the Rafah border crossing. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also seized the chance to meet new German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who accepted an invitation to visit Turkey and pledged to respect commitments made to Ankara despite her own doubts about its EU bid. The European Union's diplomatic representatives have sharply criticized Israel's policies in East Jerusalem, saying it is using settlements and the West Bank separation fence to create a "de facto annexation of Palestinian land," American and British newspapers reported. The unpublished report warns that the Israeli measures "are reducing the possibility of reaching a final-status agreement on Jerusalem that any Palestinian could accept," The New York Times reported. According to the Times, the report recommends that European officials take a more aggressive stance toward Israeli policies in East Jerusalem, such as holding political meetings with Palestinian ministers in East Jerusalem instead of the West Bank and asking Israel to "halt discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, especially concerning working permits, building permits, house demolitions, taxation and expenditure." The document, written by British consulate officials in East Jerusalem as part of Britain's presidency of the European Union, was presented to an EU council of ministers meeting led by Britain's foreign minister, Jack Straw, according to the Guardian. It said the EU council's discussion of the matter was postponed until next month at the behest of Italy. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the EU had decided to delay releasing the report in the wake of the recent warming of ties between Israel and Europe. Marc Otte, the EU's Middle East envoy, played down the report, telling the Times that it was a routine response to a request to keep foreign ministers apprised of trends in East Jerusalem. EU foreign ministers discussed the Middle East in a recent meeting and decided to express "grave concern" over Israel's activities in East Jerusalem and its environs, including establishing settlements, constructing the West Bank separation fence and demolishing homes. According to the EU, such Israeli activities minimize the chance for a final-status agreement over Jerusalem, threaten to make any solution based on the coexistence of two states impossible, and conflict with international law. In general, the report asserts, "prospects for a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine are receding," the Times said. The report also warned that Israel's actions could "radicalize" Arabs living in East Jerusalem. "Palestinians are deeply alarmed about East Jerusalem," the report said. "They fear that Israel will 'get away with it,' under the cover of disengagement. Israeli measures also risk radicalizing the hitherto relatively quiescent Palestinian population of East Jerusalem." The report said "Israeli activities in Jerusalem are in violation of both its Roadmap obligations and international law," citing the Israeli plan to link Jerusalem with the nearby settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. That plan, the report said, "threatens to complete the encircling of the city by Jewish settlements, dividing the West Bank into two separate geographical areas." The report also said the separation fence was being used to expropriate Palestinian land, the Guardian reported. "This de facto annexation of Palestinian land will be irreversible without very large-scale forced evacuations of settlers and the re-routing of the barrier," the document said. The spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, Mark Regev, told the Guardian: "Israel believes that Jerusalem should remain the united capital of Israel. At the same time, Israel has committed itself that Jerusalem is one of those final-status issues." Meantime Israel has reacted angrily to the confidential Foreign Office document. Officials described the document, drafted for an EU foreign ministers meeting, as "anti-Israeli" and said it was further evidence the Foreign Office is "unrelentingly pro-Palestinian". Britain makes more formal protests to Israel over its actions in the occupied territories than any other country.