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EU FMs Convene Monday to Discuss Palestinian State Recognition


Mon 20 Jan 2020 | 06:00 PM
Ahmed Moamar

Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU), a 28- state bloc are scheduled to convene on Monday to discuss recognizing the state of Palestine.

Palestine’s Ambassador to the EU, Abdel Raheem Al Farra said that the European ministers answered an invitation made by the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg to his colleagues to mull over recognizing the state of Palestine.

Al Farra added during an interview with Palestine Radio, that the meeting will also discuss relevant files such as the construction of the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, statements of the Israeli politicians about annexing the Jordan Valley and the northern part of the basin of the Dead Sea.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has asked the EU to put Israel under pressure to permit the Palestinian election in the eastern part of Occupied Palestine.

The Palestinian ambassador praised some European officials who assured that finding a solution to the Palestinian crisis to solve all other crises in the Middle East.

On the other hand, Dr. Saeb Erekat, General-Secretary of Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), urges the EU to recognize the state of Palestine and intervene to keep the peace opportunities in the Middle East.

https://see.news/erdogan-blackmails-europe-on-libya/

“ Wafa”, a Palestinian news agency quoted Erekat as saying Europe has the opportunity to bolster its role in making peace in the Middle East by recognizing the Palestinian state.

He added that such recognition is not only a European responsibility but also a sensible step toward the permanent and just peace in the region.

He appreciated the European efforts to prevent the building of the Israeli settlements in the occupied lands.

However,  Erekat requests the Europeans to intervene diplomatically and politically to save the chances of peace and bring peace and stability to the region.

Regarding Libya conflict, the European Union may deploy a military mission to help enforce an arms embargo and a potential cease-fire in Libya, as the bloc scrambles to contain a conflict that’s drawn in Russia and Turkey and that threatens to destabilize the Mediterranean.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-20/eu-urged-to-take-responsibility-in-libya-with-oil-flows-blocked

While no decisions were taken at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, two officials present in the discussion said there was consensus that preparations should begin for an expanded naval and air-patrol mission.

One of the officials said any troop deployment pre-supposes a UN Security Council decision and a truce between Libya’s warring factions, as many countries are wary of active involvement in a raging conflict.

European leaders are trying to regain a foothold in Libya after they were sidelined by Russia and Turkey’s support for opposing sides in the conflict.

They want to find a way to enforce a UN-mandated arms embargo, nominally in place since 2011, after world leaders meeting at a conference in Berlin on Sunday vowed to respect it.

The EU already has the mandate to monitor the embargo, but its naval mission lacks any warships and its efforts have been hamstrung by disputes with Italy about where to disembark migrants saved at sea.