On the way to the Middle East
(BRUSSELS2) Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Palestine, Catherine Ashton has decided to take up her pilgrim's staff again to make a four-day tour of the Middle East. A country that she has already visited several times since her arrival but which is taking a new turn today, in particular with the change of regime in Egypt, the timid reopening of Rafah, the Hamas-Fatah agreement, the fateful deadline of September and the declaration of the Palestinian State without forgetting the "Arab revolts", the Libyan conflict and the bloody crushing of opponents in Syria.
Peace process and Libya on the menu
The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs will have "high level" meetings with heads of government and international partners, including the United Nations, the Arab League, the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, announced its spokesperson. " I want to encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to seize the moment and engage in negotiations — said - before leaving - Catherine Ashton. " With significant events underway in North Africa and President Obama's speech last month, it is more urgent than ever that we kick off the Peace Process in the Middle-East. I have proposed a Quartet meeting to help relaunch negotiations and am looking for positive signs from all sides »
4 days, 4 countries
On Thursday, Catherine Ashton will be in Jordan to meet Foreign Minister Nasser Judehin Amman. Friday will be in Israel and the Palestinian territories, with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and opposition leader Tzipi Livni, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. On Saturday, in Cairo, at the headquarters of the Arab League, where Secretary General Amr Moussa is hosting a meeting of the Cairo Group, she will discuss "Libya" with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (by videoconference), Jean Ping, President of the African Union Commission, and officials of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Sunday, finally, return to Israel to talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, before flying to Luxembourg where the meeting of European Foreign Ministers is taking place on Monday.
It is now a habit and a very "common" tactic. Before each Foreign Affairs Council, the High Representative straddles her pilgrim's staff (usually an airplane taxi) which takes her to a region with a high media yield, allowing her to have a little effect and to exist among ministers. who have seen others. But that will not be able to hide certain failures of the High Representative in the management of files. First of all, having bet everything on the Quartet and Tony Blair, as representative of the EU, which is not quite the case. Then having listened too attentively to the British briefings on the region (no doubt excellent but which do not represent the voice of all the countries of the EU: Germany, Spain or France not being automatically on the same wavelength). Finally, having considered superfluous the presence of an EU special representative in the region; since the departure of Marc Otte, the post has remained vacant. Today the September deadline - and the possible declaration of the Palestinian State is approaching - and the European Union will not be able to spare an internal debate to reconcile its positions. This subject, in itself, deserves a special meeting of all ministers.
