Conference aims at resolving Palestinian issue

A 2-day conference entitled 'Debate about new paradigms for Israel and Palestine,' held in the European Parliament here concluded Thursday after taking stock of the current situation and options opened up by the recent resumption of peace talks. In his concluding remarks, Hannes Swoboda, president of the Socialists and Democrats Group, the host of the meeting, said the conflict, and efforts to find peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, has been at the forefront of world politics for more than half a century. "After years of political impasse, the renewal of peace talks now offers new hope following past failures," he said. "The right of the Palestinian people to have an independent, contiguous, sovereign and viable state of Palestine must be recognised," he stressed. Swoboda, an Austrian Member of the European Parliament, noted that in the dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinian representatives at the conference it became clear that there are no insurmountable obstacles. "Success depends only on the willingness of the negotiators to find an agreement. Any solution will be a compromise. Europe and the US must make it clear that they will not tolerate either side torpedoing the negotiations with unilateral actions during this delicate period," he added.