An Israeli plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip could help peace, but only as part of a negotiated settlement leading to a Palestinian state, French President Jacques Chirac said on Monday.
Chirac last week called the US-backed plan, under which Israel wants to keep parts of the West Bank, an "unfortunate and dangerous precedent." Since then EU leaders have sought to defuse tension with Washington by underlining its good points.
"Of course the pull-out in question is positive, but it is only positive under certain conditions," Chirac told reporters after talks in Paris with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Chirac said any withdrawal should not pre-empt accords on borders or the return of Palestinian refugees, which he said needed to negotiated in any lasting peace accord.
"It should also be done in consultation with the Palestinian Authority and be a step in the creation of a viable Palestinian state," he said.
"A final solution can only be a negotiated solution...Any other solution cannot lead to peace and security and so on that point we are extremely concerned," Chirac added.
Comments
Comments are closed.