Germany's Foreign Minister named three areas in which the Europeans could make an effective contribution.
First of all, he suggested that the international community should support the Palestinian budget until it can be covered by Palestine's own tax income, and stressed the importance of bolstering the Palestinian economy. Dr. Steinmeier called for a commitment from European companies and for an end to Israel's restrictions on trade with Palestine. In this context, he will be bringing the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and West Bank entrepreneurs together with German companies in the coming weeks.
His second point was that Europeans should support Palestinian efforts to improve security in the West Bank. He pointed out the German Government's most recent initiatives in this regard: supplying walkie-talkies and police cars to the Palestinian National Authority to bring the current situation of anarchy under control.
In his third point, Dr. Steinmeier stressed that the Israeli government must stop expanding settlements in the West Bank and around Jerusalem, although he acknowledged that this policy would be difficult to explain to the Israeli people. In this context, Dr. Steinmeier singled out for praise the Olmert government's resolutions to evacuate the outlying settlements as an initial confidence-building measure.
Dr. Steinmeier also explained that he was making every effort to include the Syrian government in the peace process, despite the fact that Syria has not yet played a constructive role in this context. He went on to say that successful peace can only be secured with Syria's help. Syria must recognize that it can only maintain its interests, for example in clearing the Golan Heights, or successfully solve its problems arising from demographic shifts if it puts an end to its self-imposed isolation.
In his first official appearance as the Bertelsmann Stiftungs Chairman, Dr. Gunter Thielen also declared that the Europeans must make an active contribution to solving the conflict. He pointed out that it would not be possible to level the playing field without the USA, but added that lasting solutions would be impossible without European involvement. In addition to securing the results of the negotiations, he noted, Europe will have to improve the region's opportunities for economic and social development. "The region that stretches from the western Mediterranean to the Gulf needs enormous investments in education, training and lifelong learning in order to take full advantage of its value-added potential. We Europeans have a great deal to contribute in this regard, not least because we have not yet done our own homework."
Dr. Thielen added that substantial work is needed to improve the underlying economic conditions so as to improve the situation in the conflict zone. He pointed out that this would have to include transparent, reliable rules for companies, legal security for enterprises, easing restrictions for investments in both directions, and efficient public administration. Dr. Thielen also opposed the suggestion made by French President Sarkozy to create a union of neighboring Mediterranean states, believing instead that all EU nations must be involved.
In a strategic paper published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung that serves as the basis for discussions at the conference, the authors call upon Europeans to focus their political priorities in the region. In their view, the previous initiatives with neighboring Mediterranean states have not been sufficiently focused and have been repeatedly watered down so much that they have been ineffective. They stress the importance of overcoming the shortfalls of the European-Mediterranean partnership and the European Neighborhood Policy. As regards the Middle East conflict, they suggest that the EU should streamline its agenda. In their opinion, all partners in the conflict need to give the EU a clear mandate to set up institutions and contribute to the economic and social establishment of a future Palestinian state as part of the Annapolis process. These steps have to be supported by an agenda for a general transformation which must include incentives for partners within the Middle East region as well as for Europeans.