RIYADH, 4 July — Denmark has reiterated European Union’s support for Yasser Arafat.
Danish Ambassador Sven Erik Nordberg, whose country took over the rotating presidency of the European Union on Sunday, said that the embattled Palestinian leader remained crucial to the Middle East peace efforts. Speaking to Arab News, he, however, said that the EU states will be working closely with the US, which has hinted at tougher measures against Arafat. “Arafat is an elected leader with whom one can negotiate”, said the diplomat, urging all parties to open up political negotiations as soon as possible.
Denmark is working on a new Middle East peace initiative, he said.
Nordberg said the representative office of the European Union will hopefully be opened in Saudi Arabia during his country’s EU presidency. The office will be based in Riyadh and affiliated to the Brussels-based European Commission. It will have full responsibility for promoting relations with all the six Gulf states.
Asked about the priorities of the Danish presidency, Nordberg said that Denmark will speed up the process of negotiations for candidate countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey to join EU as members. The move to enlarge the EU, he noted, was initiated by Denmark in 1993, during its last presidency. Denmark will also work out a strategy to curb illegal immigration and ensure effective border controls in the European territory. It will also use its presidency to ensure that Europe shares more global responsibilities besides playing a larger role in the Middle East peace process.
