| Words have consequences, Mr. President. Even though your people are now saying the U.S. will veto a UN move to establish a Palestinian state in September, clearly there are those who believe you can be swayed. |
(Ma'an) -- The European Union is advocating an international peace plan as an alternative to a unilateral Palestinian plan to secure state recognition at the UN in September, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
In a letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, called for the urgent convening of the Middle East Quartet, the Haaretz daily reported.
Ashton's letter was coordinated with the governments of France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain, a senior European diplomat said, according to the report.
"This is no time for unilateral moves on either side, since this could lead to escalation. This is in nobody's interest, least of all that of the Israeli and Palestinian people," she said.
"I believe that what is needed now is a clear signal to the parties, and a reference framework that should enable them to return to the negotiating table. President Obama, in his speech on May 19, laid down two important elements that can be the basis for a resumption of negotiations: Borders based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, and firm security guarantees."
| Why go all the way back to 1967, when there's Oslo (also not a wonderful idea) and all those other agreements which the Palestinians refused in the last few months and years? |
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