HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
SECOND SESSION  27 November 2006

Explanation of vote (after the vote) on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in the Occupied Syrian Golan (L.12)

	
Mr. President, 

The EU and the acceding country Romania have voted in favour of the resolution contained in document L12 as amended by Pakistan. We appreciate very much the constructive spirit of the Palestinian and OIC delegations in negotiating the text that enabled us to support the resolution. 

The approach of the Palestinian delegation and the OIC delegations shows that our council is able to respect the requirement of constructive international dialogue and cooperation in such a highly political issue like that of the Middle East conflict. The EU hopes that this approach would apply also in other issues that require our attention.  

As to the subject matter of the resolution I would like to reiterate that the EU has called on Israel to desist from any action that threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and from acts that are contrary to international law. Of particular concern to us are settlement activities, the construction of the barrier on Palestinian land and activities in and around East Jerusalem as well as in the Jordan Valley. The EU will not recognize any change to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed to by both sides. 

Mr. President, we welcome the announcement of ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.  We urge both parties to exercise and enforce restraint to allow the ceasefire to hold. Stopping violence is a fundamental requirement for bringing both parties back to the negotiating table including addressing the issues of the settlements.  

Above all we need to re-invigorate the peace process through re-launching negotiations. The EU remains committed to support these efforts. 

Thank You Mr. President