Declaration on the Middle East Peace Process
December 18, 1998
Washington, DC
The signature on 23 October of the Wye River Memorandum broke a dangerous
deadlock in the Middle East and opened the perspective for new progress
in the Peace Process. We welcome implementation of the first phase of
the Memorandum by both sides. We call on the parties to implement fully
the remaining obligations, and thereby contribute to rebuilding the confidence
essential to the completion of the Peace Process begun at Madrid and Oslo.
We will work together, including through our respective envoys, in the
political and economic area, to build on this achievement and to help
the parties move the Peace Process forward to a successful conclusion.
We will use our partnership to support the implementation of outstanding
elements of the Interim Agreement. We will work for the early resumption
of the Multilateral Track of the Process. We will also seek ways to help
the parties in the Lebanese and Syrian tracks to restart negotiations
with the aim of reaching a comprehensive settlement.
Alongside other participants at the 30 November Washington Conference
to Support Middle East Peace and Development, we made significant additional
pledges of economic assistance to the West Bank and Gaza for the next
five years. Against this background, the EU and the US will continue
their leading roles in the Palestinian donor effort in order to ensure
that international assistance translates into tangible improvements in
the living conditions of the Palestinians, starting at the coming meeting
of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in February in Germany.
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