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Ten European countries propose sending an "international force" to the Palestinian territories

Ten Foreign Ministers of EU countries overlooking the Mediterranean Sea proposed the formation of an "international solid force" in the Palestinian territories, according to an open letter addressed to Tony Blair, the Quartet Committee Envoy to the Middle East. The ten ministers wrote in the letter that was published by the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and French Le Monde newspaper that the risks are certainly very high but this force can be sustainable and safe if we respect two conditions: that this force will accompany a peace plan without taking its place and to be based on an agreement between the Palestinians. The French FM launched this initiative during an unofficial meeting last week in Slovenia for the Foreign Ministers of the European countries overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The Ministers of Slovenia, France, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Greece and Malta desire to see Israel take concrete and immediate measures to support President Abbas. The ministers propose that Israel allow the transfer of all tax funds due to the Palestinians and release thousands of Palestinian detainees whose hands are not stained with blood and the Palestinian main leaders in order to support Fatah Movement and to freeze settlements and evacuate the arbitrary settlements outposts. The ministers wrote in their letter to Blair: there is no room to object to these measures under security claims. The letter also called for the need to hold an international peace conference as soon as possible in which all concerned parties participate. The letter said Blair has to confront the failure of the roadmap. The letter said: There is a setback that you cannot ignore which is that the roadmap has failed. The ministers proposed that the force can be under the sponsorship of the NATO or the UN.

The Quartet Committee expects to hold two meetings soon, including one meeting next Tuesday in London, and another meeting in mid July to define the goals of mission of Blair in the Middle East.

Published at Al Quds NewsPaper on July 10, 2007