"Let’s support the decision of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to respond to the extraordinary situation" that has come into being in Gaza "by creating an emergency government": Hans-Gert Poettering, president of the EU Parliament, speaks about the Middle East and confirm his esteem for Abbas and for the new prime minister Salam Fayyad. Today the assembly held an extraordinary debate on the subject in Strasbourg and put off a shared resolution to the July session. Poettering spoke of a "terrible reality", which can have "dreadful developments"; he invoked peace between the parties and guarantees for Israel. "Since the new government has to cope with a difficult challenge he explained , it will need the support of the EU and the international community". "We must do all we can to make sure humanitarian conditions are restored in the Palestinian Territories", while "working to develop a long-term policy". Poettering praised the position taken by the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs "to reopen the normal channels with the PNA", ensuring direct aids. He asked the Palestinians to "make more efforts for dialogue, so as to achieve the necessary reconciliation with a view to a Palestinian State" in peaceful relations with its neighbouring countries.
