Posted on 06/28/2002 11:08:44 AM PDT by knighthawk
Copenhagen - Denmark, the European Union's incoming president, plans talks with the United States to heal a rift on the Middle East, but said on Friday the peace process must continue.
US President George W. Bush has set the removal of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a condition for a peace settlement that includes a Palestinian state. Arafat is contesting elections set for January 2003.
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said he meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday to discuss Bush's peace plan, which was received with reservations in Europe and among Arab allies of the United States.
"It is important that the Middle East peace process continues and that there be no gap in the international community concerning Israel and Palestine," Moeller told reporters.
Denmark takes over the EU presidency next week and Moeller said the bloc's 15 foreign ministers would discuss their strategy on the Middle East in Brussels on July 22. Some EU leaders have insisted only the Palestinians should decide who should represent them.
Bush has threatened to cut off funding if Palestinians do not change their leaders, but the EU, also a key source of funding, has welcomed the prospect of next year's elections.
"There will be elections around January 1 next year and the EU is very good at helping elections," Moeller said.
EU diplomats said they were concerned that Islamic militants could exploit the potential political vacuum created by the US stance on Arafat.
"We have a gap between now and January. The US does not accept Arafat and this gives us a very dangerous situation," one European official said.
But I got to hand it to your leaders. They have not one, but TWO foreign policy bureaucracies. Quite efficient indeed!
Arafat is either complicit or ineffectual with the militants. Our stance towards him does not affect that reality.
That's the whole problem! He, apparently, has convinced many in Europe that he is not. I don't think many people here doubt for a second that he is directly responsible for much of the murder and mayhem over there.
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