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15:31 GMT
PARIS, Feb 19 (KUNA) -- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who
returned February 17 after a two-day visit to the Palestinian territories and
Israel, believes that he was heard by Israel when he brought up a number of
important issues relative to the peace process and Palestinian development,
officials here said.
Kouchner raised a series of questions relative to slow Israeli compliance
with the commitments to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian areas,
including Gaza, and failure to give a strong political signal that there is
progress on key issues like on the need to freeze settlements.
"He had the feeling he was understood particularly on settlements," said
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani.
The French official also noted that Israel had reacted immediately and
positively to a request to deliver cement supplies to Gaza to help repair a
damaged sewage plant that has ruptured and overflowed, creating a health
hazard for both Israelis and Palestinians.
During his talks with Israeli officials on Sunday, Kouchner had also
broached the issue of lack of progress in Palestinian, economic projects due
to Israeli security blockades.
He once again emphasized the need to move forward with core negotiations to
arrive at a peace agreement by the end of 2008 in line with aspirations of
the Annapolis conference last November and the financing accord that raised
USD 7.7 billion for the Palestinians in Paris last December.
Kouchner stressed in this third trip to the region that concrete progress
must be seen on the ground in order to get popular support for the
international agreements.
"In this framework, the Minister regretted the lack of progress on the
ground in certain economic development projects because of the blockades
linked to the keeping in place of hundreds of road checkpoints in the West
Bank and because of the blockade of Gaza," Andreani said here earlier this
week after Kouchners return.
The French minister "stressed that it is indispensable to create a climate
of confidence" and for this "a total freeze on settlements is necessary,"
officials here said.
Israel has promised on several occasions to listen to this wisdom and to
freeze new settlement building but these promises have remained vain on
several occasions, both before and after Annapolis. (End)
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