Programma van EU-delegatie naar Midden-Oosten (en)
On 4-6 January 2009, the Chair of the EU General Affairs Council and Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg, will lead the EU delegation heading for Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
This delegation brings together members of the “Troïka” (the Presidency, the European Commission, and the European Council).
The European Commission will be represented by Commissioner in charge of External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner i. The Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana i, will also take part in the delegation.
Other members of the delegation include the Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, representing the following Presidency, and the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner i, invited by the Czech Presidency in order to ensure a smooth transition.
The objectives of the EU mission headed by Minister Schwarzenberg are above all:
to establish a dialogue with partners of the European Union in the Middle East area; to assess the current situation and to look at possible ways of re-establishing armistice in the Gaza Strip, to look for ways of providing humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,
to coordinate and unify action of the EU mechanisms - the Presidency, the European Commission and the European Council.
The delegation is expected to take part in the following meetings:
4 January 2009
Egypt
Meeting with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit (The meeting will be followed by a press conference, scheduled at 20:15 ST - to be confirmed) 5 January 2009
Israel
Meeting with President Shimon Peres Meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Meeting with Defence Minister Ehud Barak Meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni (The meeting will be followed by a press conference, scheduled at 14:30 ST - to be confirmed)
Palestinian National Authority
Meeting with Prime Minister and Finance Minister Salaam Fayad (Press conference - to be confirmed) Possibly a meeting with the French President Nicolas Sarkozy (to be confirmed) 6 January 2009
Jordan
Meeting with Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi, (to be followed by a meeting with the press - to be confirmed)
Contact: Zuzana Opletalová
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
GSM: +420 724 034 154