News, May 24, 2003, Al-Jazeerah.info

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Refugees are on the Road Map, says EU Envoy
Visiting moratinos says beirut’s concerns taken seriously

Nafez Kawas and Khalil Fleihan
Daily Star correspondents

The visiting European Union’s peace envoy to the Middle East reaffirmed Friday that both the EU and the international community were taking Lebanon’s “legitimate concerns” regarding the Palestinian refugee issue very seriously, adding that the problem would be dealt with as part of the “road map’s” last phase.
Miguel Angel Moratinos was speaking to reporters following talks with President Emile Lahoud, shortly after arriving in Beirut from the occupied Palestinian territories. He also met with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and Foreign Minister Jean Obeid.
Moratinos explained that he had returned to Beirut to see Lebanon’s reaction to the peace plan, a copy of which was handed over to the government a week ago during a joint visit with the EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana.
“We wanted to come back here to get the government’s reaction to the plan and to assure the Lebanese authorities that Europeans are paying great attention to a comprehensive solution to this process, which would also include both Lebanese and Syrian tracks,” he said.
For his part, Lahoud told Moratinos that Lebanon would announce its final position regarding the plan, once all parties made their own attitudes public and clear. According to a presidential press release, Lahoud expressed hope that the United States would continue supporting the Lebanese position already conveyed to Secretary of State Colin Powell during his recent visit to Beirut.
He said that this stance called for a fair settlement of the Palestinian problem, a solution that guarantees the resettlement of all Palestinians in their homeland and rejects their settlement in Lebanon, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied territories of Lebanon and Syria to the internationally recognized 1967 borders. When these conditions achieve fruition, then a global, comprehensive and long-lasting peace can be achieved in the Middle East, Lahoud said.
Lahoud said efforts under way by the “Quartet” to end the deteriorating situation in the region were being countered by continuous Israeli hostilities against the Palestinians, and attempts to block the implementation of the first phase of the peace plan.
“In principle, the Lebanese government’s attitude toward efforts to make the road map a reality is very positive. Of course, the Lebanese are much more concerned about their own future and want to make sure all Lebanese issues will be addressed correctly,” Moratinos said. “We assured them that we are working toward addressing all the elements considered by the European Union and the collaborating members ­ the United States, Russia and the United Nations,” he added.
Moratinos said the Palestinian refugee issue in Lebanon would be dealt with as part of the last phase of the road map. “We have already taken the Lebanese concerns into account, but they have to be addressed at the right moment.”
After meeting Hariri, Moratinos said that discussions had touched on the road map delivered to the Lebanese authorities, “and which is currently being seriously studied,” as well as on the Euro-Med conference due to be held on the Greek island of Crete next week.
“I hope we will have the opportunity in the coming days and weeks to achieve progress together, not only on the Palestinian-Israeli track, but also on the Syrian and Lebanese issues, giving the region a real chance for peace,” Moratinos said.
Referring to his talks with Obeid, Moratinos said these dealt with the Crete conference and the road map, adding that he had briefed the foreign minister on the latest developments of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
“I arrived in Beirut from Ramallah and Gaza and I hope the near future will witness the complete removal of the difficulties facing the whole region,” he added.
Moratinos expressed hope the Crete gathering would be successful, pointing out that for the first time since the Barcelona conference held in 1995, all Arab member states together with Israel and European states, would sit around one table.

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