Press conference with the President of the European Commission and the Palestinian President

27 November 2005

The Prime Minister has met with the President of the European Commission, Mr Jose Manuel Barroso and the Palestinian President, Mr Mahmoud Abbas, in Spain at the start of the EuroMed conference.

The talks bring together the 25 EU Member States and 10 Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. Libya has had observer status since 1999.

• PM welcomes opening of Palestinian border

Read the transcript

Mr Barroso:

I just want to underline how important we think it is, the Rafa Agreement.  I think it is an historic achievement also for the European Union, because it shows the European Union has the trust and confidence of the partners there. We are there on the ground, with a key role, a role that is at the same time active monitoring, but also of capacity building with our Palestinian friends.  And so we should now build on this. It is important in terms of freedom, people can get out, can get in, but also it is important in terms of the economy because it is not only people, but goods. So it is important for the development.

As President Mahmoud Abbas was telling us before, he has to address the concerns of young people who have no job in their territory.  And so we should now build upon this. The European Commission is ready to help on the ground with concrete decisions.  Now we have the seaport, that is a major development, it is a major infrastructure for that region, and we are ready to help. So I was very encouraged. We know how difficult the situation is, but we believe there are reasons for hope.

Question:

A question to Mr Tony Blair.  In your capacity as President of the European Union, Libya is invited here at this summit. Will you have the following message to our Libyan friends, to free the Bulgarian nurses? And a second question, in your capacity as British Prime Minister, Libya has indicated its willingness to horse-trade its national ... for the Bulgarian nurses, what is the British answer to that?

Prime Minister:

If you will forgive me, I don't think there is a comment I would like to make on this at the moment, other than to say that I know it is a subject of very great concern to Bulgaria, but we hope this issue can be resolved, and we are doing our best to try and help resolve it, but sometimes these things are better resolved with diplomacy and we will try to do that.

Question:

Prime Minister, after the opening up of the Gaza to movement in and out, is it now the time for the Americans to get much more deeply involved in trying to stimulate progress? And briefly, if I may, on another matter. Is there any question at all of the government re-opening the pensions deal in our country in the light of wider reform?

Prime Minister:

John, I hope you will really forgive me on this, but I spent a lot of time with you guys yesterday doing domestics, and today I think we have got to keep the focus on this.  Let me just say one thing to you.  Of course Secretary of State Rice also played a major part in the Rafa Agreement, and I think the Americans are heavily involved in this today, and I hope they remain so, because we need all the international community, and in particular the Quartet, engaged in making sure that the progress that is being made, we keep on making that progress, and this is going to be vital. Because as President Abbas was rightly explaining to us, he is doing his best for the Palestinian people, but he needs to see progress, he needs to see it in economic terms, he needs to see it in political terms, and he wants that progress also in security terms. So in all these areas it is important the international community works together, it is doing so, and I think the degree of engagement today by America is quantitatively and qualitatively different from that of a few years back, and I think that should be recognised.

Question:

If I may, Prime Minister Blair, as co-chair, many Arab leaders did not come to this summit, how do you think it has affected this summit and were you expecting such a low turnout from the Heads of State? And for President Abbas, if I may, in Arabic ... (not interpreted).

Prime Minister:

Look, just on the first point, obviously there are various reasons why some of the leaders have not been able to come, but I am sure we will have a good conference nonetheless. And the event I will be attending shortly, which is the Alliance of Civilisation event that has been put together by Spain and Turkey, I think is a very important indication that Euro-Med has a function obviously in economic and development terms, but also has a crucial political role to play in trying to bring people from Europe, and also from Mediterranean countries, and some of those further afield where the countries will be predominantly Muslim.  It also has a very clear role there in trying to make sure that people see what they have in common and live together side by side in peace, whatever religion they come from, as opposed to what those who are engaged in international terrorism, which is to be pitted against each other.

Mr Abbas:

(Not interpreted)

Question:

Inaudible.

Prime Minister:

I know, well I am shocked with them as well, but what can I do? 

Question:

Mr Blair, how confident are you of securing a deal on the EU budget at the December Summit? And could I also ask Mr Barroso, how confident are you in Mr Blair being able to broker that deal?

Prime Minister:

Well we will have many opportunities to discuss that over the next few days, but can we take one other on the Palestinian Middle East issue, to be fair.

Question:

I would like to ask both Prime Minister Blair and President Abu Mazen please.  Concerning the differentiation between terrorism and defending against occupation, how do you see this problem? Thank you.

Prime Minister:

I think it is extremely important that we distinguish between two quite separate things. There is a process in place now, which we want to give every support to, which is a democratic process and a process of negotiation and dialogue. And people fully understand and accept the sense of injustice that people can have, and that sense of injustice I should imagine is never confined to one side, and that is why it is so important that there is progress on the Palestinian side in economic development, and also as I said in political development as well. But we do not believe that terrorism assists this process; on the contrary, it actually is an obstacle to progress. And that is why it is so important, with the leadership of President Abbas, that the Palestinian side are able to establish the right dialogue with Israel in order to get to the two state solution. But the one thing for sure is, terrorism is not a route to that solution, it is an obstacle to it.