The Middle East stalemate is not only detrimental to the region itself but is also having a negative impact on regional relations across the Mediterranean area, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said yesterday.
He was speaking during the United Nations International Meeting On The Question Of Palestine in Qawra.
Dr Borg said that international initiatives such as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean initiative that have attempted to spur intra-regional co-operation are being held hostage as a result of the lack of progress in peace talks.
"We cannot leave the open wound of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unaddressed. The state of Israel is rightly recognised by all. The state of Palestine needs to come into being at the earliest opportunity. The primary objective of the international community must be to achieve peace in Palestine and simultaneously guarantee the right to exist for the state of Israel. While peace in the Middle East does not guarantee peace in the rest of the Mediterranean, there can be no peace in the Mediterranean without peace in the Middle East," he said.
Dr Borg said that it is essential that the international community be more active in its approach towards the Middle East. In order to achieve the goal of creating a peaceful and sustainable Palestinian state in 2008, the key issues of borders, the status of Jerusalem, settlements, water rights and the right of return of refugees must be addressed.
All efforts must be geared at promoting confidence-building measures between Israel and the Palestinians with a specific focus on enhancing people-to-people relations.
"Better management of security challenges also requires a greater degree of global cooperation than ever before and that means making room for the new powerhouses that include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and the oil-rich Gulf states. At the same time, the Middle East cannot be left to collapse as the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and other conflicts in the region will have a major bearing on the 21st century," Dr Borg said.