BELGIUM: European Union to make a last ditch effort to resolve the EU-Russia rift before upcoming summit /EU says it hopes for Palestinian aid decision by next month

The EU will make a last ditch effort to resolve the EU-Russia rift before a summit this week which will achieve nothing unless there is a breakthrough. On the Middle East, the EU holds an extraordinary meeting with the Arab League and says it is encouraged by developments in the Palestinian Authority which could lead to a resumption of aid by the next council. Germany's foreign minister will make a last-minute dash to Moscow on Tuesday (May 15) to try to salvage an EU summit with Russia that threatens to degenerate into acrimony over problems ranging from Polish meat to Kosovo. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on a growing list of disputes involving Russia and new EU members that were once in the Soviet orbit. However Steinmeier on Monday (May 14) acknowledged it was unlikely Russia and the EU would now agree to start negotiations on an ambitious new partnership pact due to cover trade, energy, human rights and foreign policy. "All in all we have a situation whereby you might wonder 'is this the right time for a EU/Russian summit. I am very pleased that today, in the General Affairs Council, no one came forward with the suggestion that the summit be cancelled. I myself take the view that its particularly when times are tough you need to talk," Steinmeier said. EU leaders had hoped the encounter would launch efforts to put relations between the EU and the country on which it relies for much of its energy on a new footing. But those hopes have been dashed by Moscow's refusal to lift a ban on Polish meat imports, citing cases of fraud. That move prompted Warsaw to veto the opening of talks on the pact. The only note of optimism was that other areas of policy with Russia could go forward such as on education, energy and cooperation and research. "Yes it will be a difficult summit but it will take place and we hope we will reach agreement in areas which are important from the perspective of the EU as well such as climate change, energy and cooperation and research," Steinmeier said. The Russian ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizov, said earlier that there was no movement between the EU and Russia. "I would say there are a number of issues that have been stalling some for well known reasons others for less well known reasons and we could have achieved more progress definitely," Chizov said. He said the EU's reaction over events in Tallin and Moscow had not helped to ease an already difficult situation. Moscow's is furious at Estonia's removal of a Soviet monument from Tallinn city centre and wanted more support from the EU which criticised Moscow for using excessive violence to quell a demonstration. "many people in Russia and myself not excluded were bewildered to say it mildly over the reactions in the European Union towards those events. I would even say there was an element of hypocrisy in that," Chizov said. "I don't believe this would help either the relationship between Russian and Estonia but also the relation between Russian and the European Union," he added. He also said it would be irresponsible to set a date for ending the embargo until Russian veterinary services had done their work. Russian-EU ties are further beset by differences over Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, its interruption of oil supplies to a Lithuanian refinery, and its anger at a planned U.S. missile shield in eastern Europe. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Russia on Monday seeking to patch up relations that have been strained by Kosovo and the missile defence plan. She said there was "no basis whatsoever" for talking of a new Cold War. Germany said Chancellor Angela Merkel and Putin agreed by telephone on Sunday they both wanted to make the summit a success, but the overall mood is more one of damage limitation. The Foreign Ministers also held a special meeting with the Arab League. A senior EU official on Monday urged an early review of suspended aid to the Palestinian government, saying she hoped for a decision next month. Speaking after talks with Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr before EU foreign ministers discussed Middle East peace with Arab League counterparts, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner spoke of "encouraging" signs from the Palestinians. Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said it was vital to move now and called on the quartet to take serious action. "And now I believe the quartet has a responsibility to move on and help reviving a meaningful peace process within a time line we cannot have an open ended process again. The year 2007 is important if we can't achieve anything whilst the window of opportunity is with us it will be very difficult to move on," Moussa said. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince al Faisal also urged the EU to move quickly in order to avert a catastrophe. "We have assured the ministers that the Arab countries are not only serious but determined in their effort to achieve peace. But peace is needed now not later. We have lost much time, we have lost much energy and we will try to make up the time and get again the energy to move towards peace in the Middle East," Prince Faisal said. Solana and Fererro Waldner both said that they were encouraged by what the Palestinian Authority had been doing but that technical issues still needed to be fulfilled before resumption of aid could be put back on the table and agreed by the EU. Ferrero-Waldner noted that the EU was continuing with a major aid mechanism to channel funds to needy Palestinians while bypassing Hamas and was looking at ways to assist institution and capacity building in government. The EU cut off direct aid when Hamas refused to recognise Israel, renounce violence or accept interim peace deals and refuses to deal with the group of its ministers until it changes its position on Israel.

ITN Source | May 15, 2007

Tags:. .patch. .excessive. .citing. .monument. .mildly