http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-urges-israel-to-lift-its-blockade-of-gaza-1.296154
Published 18:34 14.06.10
Latest update 18:34 14.06.10
EU urges Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza
Foreign Affairs council calls on Hamas to free Shalit and cease its rocket fire
on Israel; council also agrees to push for to extra Iran sanctions.
By Barak Ravid and News Agencies
The European Union urged Israel on Monday to lift its blockade of the Gaza
Strip, and called for "credible international participation" in an
investigation of the Israel Navy's deadly raid of an aid flotilla bound for the
coastal territory earlier this month.
The EU added that it regretted the loss of nine Turkish lives aboard the aid
convoy on May 31 and condemned the use of violence during the clashes.
Sacks of wheat from humanitarian groups, in Gaza. Israel's blockade has
been voided of content by Egypt's opening of the Rafah crossing.
Photo by: Reuters
"The Council believes that an immediate, full and impartial inquiry into these
events and the circumstances surrounding them is essential," the European
Foreign Affairs council said in a statement, hours after Israel revealed the
members of its panel charged with probing the affair. "To command the
confidence of the international community this should include credible
international participation."
In its statement, the EU issued its expected call on Israel to lift its
blockade on the Gaza Strip, declaring: "The situation in Gaza remains
unsustainable. The continued policy of closure is unacceptable and politically
counterproductive. The EU calls for an urgent and fundamental change of policy
leading to a durable solution to the situation in Gaza."
"In line with UNSC Resolution 1860, the EU reiterates its call for an
immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of
humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza including goods
from the West Bank."
The council added in its statement that such a solution must address "Israel's
legitimate security concerns including a complete stop to all violence and arms
smuggling into Gaza."
It declared that it "deplored continuing acts of rocket fire [from Gaza]" and
called on "all those responsible [to] take immediate and concrete steps to
cease and prevent such violence."
The Council also called on the captors of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was
seized in a 2006 cross-border raid from Gaza '"to release him without delay",
to grant Red Cross representatives access to him and to "end its interference
with the operations of NGOs and UN agencies in Gaza."
EU reaches deal on extra Iran sanctions
The council also agreed at its meeting that European Union leaders will push
ahead with plans for tighter sanctions against Iran on Thursday, including
measures to stem investment in the oil and gas sector and Tehran's refining
capability.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Catherine Ashton.
Photo by: Reuters
European Union foreign ministers, who are responsible for agreeing an EU-wide
position ahead of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, signed off on a
statement on Monday that goes substantially beyond the extra sanctions the
United Nations agreed to impose on Iran last week, a draft shows.
The foreign ministers said the extra EU sanctions, which could be imposed from
next month, should focus on trade, including dual-use items, banking and
insurance and Iran's transport sector, including shipping and air cargo.
But the measures will also target "key sectors of the gas and oil industry with
prohibition of new investment, technical assistance and transfers of
technologies, equipment and services, in particular related to refining,
liquefaction and
Liquefied Natural Gas", documents obtained by Reuters show.
The measures, which go beyond what some diplomats had expected, are likely to
put strong financial pressure on Iran, which is the world's fifth largest crude
oil exporter.
Sweden, Cyprus, Spain were believed to be opposed to any EU measures that go
beyond the sanctions agreed at the United Nations, and Germany was said to have
concerns about targeting Iran's oil and gas sector, where it has large
investments.
The European Union's move is designed to put further pressure on Iran to return
to negotiations over its uranium enrichment program, which the United States
and other Western powers believe is designed to produce nuclear weapons.
Iran denies this and says its plans are peaceful.
The EU steps coincide with efforts by the U.S. Congress to draw up its own set
of additional measures against Iran.
The EU-US measures are also designed to add bite to last week's UN sanctions
package, parts of which were watered down by Russian and Chinese opposition.
Their political impact was also undermined by Turkish and Brazilian votes
against it.
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