Visit of Deputy FM Massalha to EU Institutions in Brussels

(Communicated by Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
9 December 1999

The Deputy Foreign Minister, MK Nawaf Massalha, is leaving on Sunday, December 12, for a working visit to EU institutions in Brussels and in Strasbourg. The Deputy Foreign Minister will meet with the President of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine, and other senior officials of the Parliament and the Commission to discuss advancing the relations between Israel and the European Union.

The Deputy Foreign Minister will hold meetings in an effort to bring about a conclusion to the ratification process of the Association Agreement (which was signed in 1995), and its practical application. Massalha will also discuss with his hosts the desired extent of European involvement in the peace process, as well as aid to the Palestinian Authority, and will update his discussion partners concerning developments in the peace process.

During the Deputy Foreign Minister's visit to Belgium, he will hold bilateral meetings with the Presidents of the Belgian Senate and Parliament, as well as with senior Foreign Ministry officials and trade leaders. This part of the visit will focus on Israel's request that the legislating bodies complete ratification of the Association Agreement as soon as possible, as the other member states of the EU have already done.

The Deputy Foreign Minister's visit will also include lectures at two EU research institutes.