Ireland and the EU want an even-handed approach to the Middle East peace process, writes Brian Cowen, who today meets the Israeli Foreign Minister.
When I returned from my visit to Israel at the beginning of this year, I said that inaction is not an option for the Middle East. The intervening period, punctuated by horrific violence such as last weekend's suicide bomb attack, has served only to further convince me that we need urgent movement from both sides. During the Irish presidency we are committed to doing what we can to facilitate that movement.
The Middle East peace process demands our attention and our efforts, both in itself and also for the stability of the wider region.
Since the beginning of the year, we have received the Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister here in Dublin, and I have visited Israel and Egypt for high-level meetings. I will pay further visits to the region later in the presidency.
This morning in Dublin I will again meet Israel's Foreign Minister, Silvan Shalom. I welcome this chance to renew my discussions with him. Ireland's relations with Israel are closer than may sometimes appear. There are personal links and a healthy economic relationship, with flows of trade and investment in both directions. There is also fruitful co-operation in scientific and academic research, and steady streams of visitors between our two countries.
For these reasons, among others, Israel can be confident that Ireland's presidency of the European Union will be constructive, open and even-handed, reflecting faithfully the views of the European Union as a whole. Our sole objective is the achievement of a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We want a peace which includes Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, and which puts a final end to conflict in the region.
The achievement of peace in the Middle East can only come about through negotiation. Any solution will require recognition of Israel's right to live in peace and security.
Equally, agreement will require recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, which include the right to a viable state of their own. It will also need to generously address the predicament of the many hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who have suffered from this conflict.
In the European Union's view, both sides have missed opportunities. As a result, Europe has taken issue with some of the decisions which Israel has made, as it also has with Palestinian failures. The path to peace and prosperity is set out in the "Roadmap" drawn up by the US, the EU, the UN and Russia.
I completely reject the claims in some quarters that the Roadmap has failed. The fact is that it has not been properly implemented. I also reject the idea that there is any realistic alternative. Separation will not bring lasting security for the Israeli people. Terrorism will not bring forth a viable and independent Palestine.
The immediate priority must be to kickstart the implementation of the Roadmap. It may be that the initial steps demanded in it are too steep to be taken in one go. The Irish presidency has identified a series of small but concrete and visible steps which the two sides could implement together. Both sides should take a realistic view of just how much can be put into effect at this stage, and not make demands which cannot be met. The aim would be that, as mutual confidence develops, the parties can move on to more thorough-going measures.
In the longer term, the proposal of Prime Minister Sharon for a withdrawal from much of the Gaza Strip may also be a step in the right direction. Subject to certain conditions, such a withdrawal could be a catalyst for the political progress needed to bring an end to conflict.
Last Monday, the EU Council of Ministers agreed on five elements which would be essential to make a withdrawal acceptable to the international community: it must take place in the context of the Roadmap; it must be a step towards a two-state solution; it must not involve a transfer of settlement activity to the West Bank; there must be an organised and negotiated handover of responsibility to the Palestinian Authority; and Israel must facilitate the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza.
Public opinion in Europe is gravely concerned that the route marked out for the security barrier, cutting through the occupied Palestinian Territories, will cut off thousands of Palestinians from their farm land, economic resources, essential services and from their neighbours. The routing of the barrier is causing real hardship and raising fears among Palestinians of a unilateral attempt to redraw the 1967 frontiers.
The EU is clear that there can be no recognised departure from the 1967 borders other than by agreement between the parties.
We understand that, for Israel, security has to be at the heart of any peace. Israelis have always felt vulnerable to hostile neighbours, and the latest appalling suicide bombings only serve to reinforce this sense of insecurity. We believe, fundamentally, that a viable, democratic and independent Palestinian State is Israel's best guarantee of security.
While no two situations are the same, and we have not yet solved all our problems, the Irish peace process may have some helpful lessons for Israelis and Palestinians. We can see that progress is more likely when the legitimate interests of both parties are respected and when the approach is inclusive.
However, political will and a readiness to compromise are essential elements which only the parties to the conflict can provide. They are urgently needed in the Middle East if the suffering of the people of Israel and Palestine is to be ended by the conclusion of a just and lasting peace.
Brian Cowen is Minister for Foreign Affairs and president of the EU's General Affairs Council which co-ordinates the Union's common foreign and security policy.