EU diplomats in the Middle East oppose Donald Trump on Jerusalem The EU counter-measures were put forward in a confidential report filed by EU states’ ambassadors in East Jerusalem and Ramallah, in Israeli-occupied Palestine, after Trump unilaterally recognized Israel’s claim to Jerusalem in December. The report said EU countries should agree that Europe will continue to respect the international consensus that Jerusalem should be shared by Israel and Palestine as part of a two-state solution. The report added that EU countries should also ensure that the location of their diplomatic missions remains until the final status of Jerusalem is resolved. The report collected several new recommendations to prevent Trump’s unilateral plan. It urged EU governments to push their line on Jerusalem in all bilateral and multilateral contacts to oppose Israeli laws and alter the city’s status, and to consider development of further actions on distinguishing between the territory of the state of Israel and the occupied territories.
The Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Vietnam, Sean Doyle, has expressed optimism about bilateral relations in 2011. The EU diplomat informed a press briefing in Hanoi on January 11 that the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), initialed in October of 2010, would be officially signed this year. Doyle said the PCA will develop the existing institutional framework and increase dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Vietnam. It envisages a new forward-looking and modern agenda, reflecting the needs and interests of both Vietnam and the EU, and will be a powerful catalyst to bring the partnership to…... [read more]
(VOVworld) - Diplomats from 28 EU members on Monday warned they could respond in kind if the United States goes on with its plans to end visa-free entry for some EU nationals. EU Ambassador to the United States David O'Sullivan said in an editorial in The Hill on behalf of EU member states’ ambassadors to the US that such indiscriminate action against the more than 13 million European citizens who travel to the US each year would be counterproductive, could trigger legally mandated reciprocal measures, and would do nothing to increase security while instead hurting economies on both sides of…... [read more]
Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has drawn sharp criticism, with the significant exception of Israel. Here are key reactions from around the world: Israel salutes 'historic' day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's recognition as "historic" and a "courageous and just decision". Netanyahu also pledged no change to the status quo at Jerusalem's highly sensitive holy sites in the city, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. No longer a peace broker Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the U.S. could no longer play the role of peace broker after Trump's decision. "These deplorable and unacceptable measures…... [read more]
LONDON: The Speaker of Britain's House of Commons said on Monday (Feb 6) he was "strongly opposed" to allowing Donald Trump to address members of parliament during the US president's state visit later this year. John Bercow said such a speech was "not an automatic right, it is an earned honour" - and one he would object to following Trump's ban on refugees and travellers from seven mainly Muslim countries. "Before the imposition of the migrant ban I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall," said Bercow, one of three officials who…... [read more]
The European Union's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said on Saturday that Jerusalem "should be the capital of two states", as tensions gripped the holy city hit by Israeli-Palestinian violence. "I think Jerusalem can be and should be the capital of two states," Mogherini told reporters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, touching on a sensitive issue that has blocked peace efforts for decades. Her appeal, at a joint news conference with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah, came hours after the killing of an Arab-Israeli by police fanned tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. The shooting in northern Israel…... [read more]
