(Communicated by Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
June 21, 2000
Foreign Minister David Levy met for lunch on June 20 with
nineteen Western European ambassadors in Jerusalem.
At the beginning of the meeting, Foreign Minister Levy noted the
fruitful cooperation with Europe, which has been clearly
reflected recently with the signing of the Association Agreement
with the EU, a meeting this month with the Association Council in
Luxembourg, Israel's acceptance as a member of the UN Western
European and Others Group (WEOG), and the establishment of the
Israel-EU forum for economic, commercial and cultural
cooperation.
Foreign Minister Levy updated the ambassadors on the peace
process with the Palestinians, the withdrawal from Lebanon and
his perception of the new situation in Syria.
With regard to Syria, Foreign Minister Levy stated:
"Let us hope that President Bashar Assad will pursue a
constructive approach that will lead to stability. He belongs to
a new generation, he is a man of the world, and we hope that he
will adopt a new approach. According to what we have heard from
the recent Ba'ath Party conference, the situation is worrying.
They are dragging the world back into dark times in which there
is no expression of peace, and in which Israel is depicted as an
enemy which must be stopped. This does not bode well, and the
adoption of this path will lead to collapse."
With regard to the negotiations with the Palestinians, Foreign
Minister Levy stated:
"The Government has released more prisoners than those provided
for in its commitments in any agreement. The Palestinian
Authority, however, is releasing prisoners who have carried out
attacks against Israel. This is a clear violation of the
agreements, which may serve as an indication of future
intentions. There is no alternative to the peace process. The
insistence on all or nothing is blindness. I hope that the recent
inflammatory declarations will not prevent them from later
descending from the tree which they climbed up."
With regard to Lebanon, Foreign Minister Levy stated that "the
onus is now fully on the Lebanese government to show the extent
to which it is in control of the territory, and whether it will
deploy its forces along the border."
Prior to the meeting with the ambassadors, Minister Levy received
the Ambassador of Germany in Israel, Theodor Wallau, on the
occasion of the termination of his tour of duty in Israel. Levy
praised the professional work of the ambassador for the benefit
of Israel-German relations, which he described as very good and
of a unique nature. Foreign Minister Levy presented Wallau with a
gift from Jerusalem.