The EU supports efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Gaza

Press release 25/2009
26 January, 2009

The EU foreign ministers gave their strong support for the achievement of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel when they met in Brussels on Monday, 26 January. According to Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, it is now most important to get humanitarian aid through as quickly as possible, support the ceasefire, reopen the Gaza border crossings and to prevent the smuggling of arms and ammunition to Gaza.

The previous evening the EU foreign ministers had met with the foreign ministers of Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Jordan and Norway; a meeting with the foreign minister of Israel had been held earlier in the week. Reopening of border crossings is important, above all, for supplying humanitarian aid, Stubb said after the meetings.

In their conclusions the ministers expressed their unequivocal support for Egypt’s peace initiative and efforts to achieve Palestinian unity.

In their discussion the foreign ministers welcomed the decision of the United States to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention centre, Stubb said, but stressed that each country will make its own decision as to the acceptance of former detainees, on the basis of national grounds and case by case. In the political sense it is an EU-level issue, but from the legal point of view it is national, Stubb specified.

“Finland has not taken a stand on the matter yet because no request to accept former detainees has been presented to us,” Stubb explained, adding that such a request may not even be presented to all EU Member States.

As to the discussion on energy policy. Stubb emphasised the need to create common energy markets, even though decisions are always national. Concerned about recent protectionism, he sought a common line with regard to infrastructure and joint networks. According to Stubb, it is also important to preserve diversity of energy sources.

Additional information: Director General Pilvi-Sisko Vierros, Political Department, mobile tel. +358 40 721 1705, and Tanja Jääskeläinen, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, mobile tel. +358 40 511 3786

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