Madam, - You published an article on June 29th by the chairman of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Raymond Deane, which suggested that Ireland's EU Presidency ignored the plight of the Palestinians.
First of all, I would like to say that Ireland has taken an active and sympathetic interest in the region for over 20 years, as borne out by the participation of thousands of Irish soldiers in peace-keeping there. We have consistently followed a balanced policy aimed at helping to bring an end to the suffering and loss of life caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict. We are in particular a strong supporter of a two-state solution, which would see an Israeli state and a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security within recognised borders. We have pursued this policy for many years.
Mr Deane's article opens by implying that the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, the late Mr Brian Lenihan TD, took a minimalist policy towards Palestinian rights. This is not so. In a communiqué in 1980 in Bahrain, Brian Lenihan said that the Palestinian people had "the right to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent state in Palestine". He was the first EU foreign minister to take this line in public.
Mr Deane's article mentions a statement issued by the Quartet (EU, UN, US, Russia) on May 4th, before going on to dismiss the Quartet as a "figleaf" for the US. The statement in question, which built on the declaration made by EU foreign ministers at their earlier meeting in Tullamore, stressed that all issues must be settled by agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians and could not be predetermined by unilateral actions. The statement further reaffirmed the Road Map, of which Mr Deane also appears dismissive, as the path to a peaceful settlement.
The statement, coming at a time of great anxiety, was very warmly welcomed in the Arab world and in particular by the Palestinian leadership.
Mr Deane also asks why the EU does not suspend its association agreement with Israel, and he quotes part of the answer given to him. The reality is that this is not an option. There is simply no consensus within the EU to do so, and most partners also consider that such action would severely undermine the EU's whole role in the peace process.
Ireland and the EU are also far from accepting that there is no Palestinian partner with whom to make progress in the peace process. Our strenuous efforts to bring the two sides together, as well as to encourage American engagement, are evidence of this.
Finally, Mr Deane's comment that Ireland failed to play a significant role in the peace process in the Middle East is all the more astonishing when so many Arab leaders, including President Arafat and Prime Minister Qurei of Palestine, and President Mubarak and Foreign Minister Maher of Egypt, have been very warm and generous in their appreciation of the distinctive and effective role of the Irish presidency in this process.
We are saddened and extremely surprised by the tone and content of Mr Deane's letter. - Yours, etc.,
DERMOT BRANGAN, Press Counsellor, Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin 2.