There was no peace process in the Middle East and mistrust had reached unmanageable levels, the European Union's foreign policy representative, Mr Javier Solana, told the European Parliament here yesterday, writes Deaglán de Bréadún, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, in Strasbourg
"Today, we can't really talk about a peace process, because there is no process, and there is no peace," he said. "Mistrust on both sides has reached unmanageable levels." He warned that the political landscape would change if it were proved that a link existed between Iran and the Palestinian Authority: "It now seems likely that there was a link between Iran and someone in the Palestinian Authority, and there had hardly been any contact of this kind for years." In the latest wave of violence, he said, "the Palestinians seem to have had access to a higher calibre of weapons than usual," which was a reason to suspect Iranian involvement.
The Fianna Fáil MEP for Munster and former minister for foreign affairs, Mr Gerard Collins, said: "The alternative to the Palestinian Authority is Palestinian anarchy". "We must all remember that Yasser Arafat is the democratically-elected leader of the Palestinian people and he has the political authority and the political mandate to represent the concerns and needs of the Palestinian people at this time.
"Yasser Arafat is a viable peace partner for Israel and he commands the support of not only his people but the broader international community." He strongly believed that the EU and the US Government had 'mutually important roles" to play in ending the violence and restarting meaningful peace talks.
He welcomed the fact that the Spanish European Presidency had written to the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, expressing deep concern at the damage done by Israeli attacks against Palestinian projects funded by the EU.
The Fine Gael MEP for Munster, Mr John Cushnahan, said the statement by the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Sharon, that he regretted not having killed Yasser Arafat in Lebanon in 1982 was "unforgivable".
"Current Israeli policy is ludicrous and counterproductive. How can they make demands on Arafat to behave as if he was the leader of a normal state while at the same time they make him a virtual prisoner in his own home, destroying his airport and his broadcasting station?
"In the post-September 11th situation the European Union has been oversensitive in our approach to the Middle East. We are an honest broker and we should be vigorous in that approach. The fact that the US is indebted to us for the solidarity and support that we provided when they needed it, it should mean that we are entitled to a reciprocal response from them and that instead of the puppet of Israel they should join us in an even-handed policy approach to this tragedy and if that is not forthcoming we should act on our own," Mr Cushnahan said.
The joint president of the Green group, Mr Daniel Cohn-Bendit said the European Parliament should invite Mr Arafat and Mr Peres to Strasbourg.
"We have to make Israeli society understand that their security depends on there being a Palestinian state."
At the same time, the Palestinians must realise that there could be no wholesale return of refugees to the Israeli state.