LOC12:04
09:04 GMT
PARIS, July 24 (KUNA) -- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said here on Thursday that there was some progress in international efforts to enforce a cease-fire in Gaza, but he warned prudence was needed because of a basic "contradiction" between the two sides on the approach to a halt in hostilities.
The French Minister told "France Inter Radio" he had been in contact by telephone Wednesday with US Secretary-of-State John Kerry and several important regional ministers, including Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and Israel's Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.
Contacts were also held with Qatari officials who have communications with Hamas, Fabius indicated.
"There are a certain number of advances. But, you know, we have to remain very prudent in this tragedy. The only real progress that will count is when there is a cease-fire," the Foreign Minister said.
"The difficulty is that some people are saying we need an immediate cease-fire and then there will be a negotiation on the fundamentals," which is the basic Israeli position supported by many Western countries.
"Others say that we firstly need negotiations and then there will be a cease-fire," which is the position of the Palestinian group, Hamas.
"We have to get out of this difficulty, this contradiction.
Fabius said that Europe was coming up with proposals which would address the demand for easing the Israeli blockade on Gaza, a blockade which has choked off practically all external economic life, trade possibilities and development in the Palestinian territory, as well as seriously restricting movement to and from Gaza.
"The Palestinians must be able to move around more. That is our conception," France's Chief Diplomat remarked.
He stressed that Europe was willing to send observers to help monitor the Rafah crossing point with Egypt, if Cairo accepts this proposal and if the Palestinian Authority can oversee the process.
Fabius said he had taken this proposal to the region last weekend when he met top leaders in Egypt, Israel and Jordan and met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas.
Commenting the decision by the UN Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Israel, Fabius said the UN body had "drawn up a harsh profile of Israel but also denounced a certain number of violations on the Palestinian side."
He acknowledged that France had abstained in the vote Wednesday, principally against Israel, to keep European solidarity as there were divisions between European countries who wanted to vote against Israel and those that wanted to support Israel. The decision to abstain was a compromise between all the European nations which took part in the UN vote.
France "took the same position in 2009 when an identical problem came up," the Minister said, noting it was a constant position of his government on this type of question.
"However," he added, "we must go to the fundamental issue, which must be dealt with, and that is what is happening every day on your television sets. This is absolutely unacceptable. We have gone beyond 700 dead. You must understand that this represents - more than 100 children (killed)."
The accusation that Israel could be found to have committed war crimes - Hamas was not accused of this - is "a very, very grave accusation," Fabius noted.
He further underlined that France has consistently supported the Egyptian initiative for a cease-fire and he told Shukri this again on Wednesday and will repeat it in a planned conversation with him later Thursday.
Fabius also said he had learned about accusations that Israel was using devastating "dart" bombs (Flechette bomb) in Gaza, but he added he did not yet have confirmation of this, but that he was pretty sure these weapons, if used, are illegal and target mainly civilians.
He again called for "halting these attacks and massacres", a reference to Hamas rockets and the Israeli riposte, which he earlier said was disproportionate and unacceptable. (end)
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