Mideast - AFP
French FM meets Arafat, calls for end to Israeli 'repression'
Date: Tue, Jun 29, 2004
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier called for an end to Israeli "repression" in the occupied territories while urging the Palestinians to press ahead with pro-democracy reforms, following talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
"Peace needs to be built together, by both sides, and it requires parallel and reciprocal efforts, and this also means efforts on the Israeli side," Barnier told reporters following an hour and a half of talks in Arafat's battered Ramallah headquarters in the West Bank.
For there to be peace, Barnier said Israel must "lift its blockade (on the Palestinian territories), end repression, end the construction of the separation barrier" in the occupied West Bank.
The French minister also called for Israel to put a stop to Palestinian "evictions and to a certain number of (property) destructions".
Barnier, who said he was "sincerely touched to find (himself) in the heart of the Palestinian territories", said he hoped that peace was within reach, despite the current cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
"France and European countries believe that we can, and must, save the peace process and implement the roadmap right away," Barnier said.
The troubled roadmap peace plan -- drafted by the EU, the UN, the US and Russia -- envisages the creation of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel by 2005, but has made next to no progress since its launch last year.
Arafat reiterated his commitment to implement "all aspects of the roadmap", and called for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority (news - web sites), he said, would "deploy all means at its disposal" to ensure security in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) if Israel goes ahead with its plan to withdraw unilaterally from the territory.
Barnier congratulated the Palestinian Authority for implementing part of the reforms laid out in the peace blueprint, but said further steps were needed.
"Much has been done here, notably institutional reforms," said the minister, citing the appointment of a Palestinian prime minister and steps taken towards greater transparency in the financing of the Palestinian Authority.
"But there is still a lot to be done to pursue these reforms," he said.
Following an earlier meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Nabil Shaath, Barnier had pledged France's help in building a democratic Palestinian state.
"Our objective is to help you build an independent democratic and prosperous Palestinian state," he told reporters after signing an agreement with Shaath on technical and scientific cooperation.
Shaath stressed that the Palestinian Authority wanted "to go forward with the peace process, to put an end to the violence and to work towards the creation of an independent Palestinian state which will be a force for stability in the region and an ally for France," he added.
He praised Barnier for pushing ahead with his visit despite pressure from Israel on the European Union (news - web sites) to boycott the veteran leader.
"France is a proud country" for not giving into "straight Israeli blackmail," Shaath earlier told AFP.
Following his meeting with Arafat, Barnier described the Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza as "a useful step within the wider process" set down by the roadmap.
The French minister last week held talks with Egyptian and Jordanian leaders over the planned pullout from Gaza and another four settlements in the northern West Bank.
He gave his strong support for Egyptian efforts to ensure security in Gaza after the evacuation and said France was prepared to take part in "an international presence" in the territory -- a pledge he reiterated on Tuesday.
"I think that Europe and France will be ready when the time comes to provide this international presence," Barnier said.
The visit to the diplomatically isolated Arafat has been slammed by Israel, with a senior official branding it a "serious mistake" Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's government, having declared Arafat an obstacle to peace, has been trying to persuade European Union governments to follow the United States' lead and cut off all contacts with him.
Barnier is slated to meet prime minister Qorei Wednesday morning, also in Ramallah, and Latin Church Patriarch Michel Sabbah in Jerusalem later in the day.
SOURCE
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