Press conference with the President of the Government and the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority following the high-level meeting between Spain and the Palestinian National Authority

Madrid

President of the Government. Good afternoon. I would like to first of all welcome the Palestinian Prime Minister - my friend Salam Fayyad - here in Madrid to the Moncloa Palace, to this high-level meeting between Spain and the Palestinian National Authority.

This is our first high-level meeting to be held. Various ministers have attended the meeting, which has tackled bilateral matters and is particularly significant since high-level meetings are only held at a State level, and hence the holding of a high-level meeting is a clear and firm gesture of support for this aspiration to create a peaceful Palestinian State, for peace in the Middle East, for peace with its neighbours and for feasible co-existence in the region.

The high-level meeting was accompanied by another decision, by another gesture along the same lines, and that was the raising of the status of Palestinian representation in Spain to mission status.

And, as is appropriate given the current climate, the main political subject of this meeting has been the process of direct dialogue, still at a fledgling stage, between Israel and Palestine, backed by the White House and the American Presidency.

I should like to express my unconditional support for the Palestinian National Authority. It has shown its capacity for dialogue and its flexibility, and most importantly for me, it seeks peace through peace, it seeks a fair solution for Palestine but does so with commitment, through agreement and dialogue.

In this direct dialogue, the Palestinian National Authority should be aware that it can count on the support of Spain to exercise the leadership, unity and reconciliation of Palestinians, and that it can count on the support of Spain to work in favour of this reconciliation. And the Palestinian National Authority should be aware that it can count on the support of Spain for the European Union to be a committed player, a decisive player so that this new peace process can reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Time is of the essence. The majority of countries around the world hope for peace and the majority of countries around the world hope for the creation of a Palestinian State, for fair and reasonable coexistence with Israel and the defence of Israel's security.

Peace in the Middle East is, to a great extent, peace in the world. There is no greater factor for peace and coexistence for the multiple conflicts in various parts of the world than peace between Israel and Palestine.

Spain has supported the Palestinian people for the last three decades, providing political and economic support as well as cooperation. And more recently we have become one of the main donors of economic support for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian National Authority in order for them to undertake the process of institutionalising public authorities that are essential to guarantee security and so that Palestine is, upon becoming a recognised State, which will take place - sooner than later, I hope - a free democratic society where the Rule of Law and principles of equality prevail. In summary, a progressive and open vision of coexistence, a vision such as that held by Prime Minister Fayyad and which increases our expectations and hopes.

Prime Minister, we truly desire, we hope with all our hearts and minds that the peace and dialogue process thus started will conclude successfully. We hope that it is concluded with historic justice for Palestine and with rules of coexistence between countries and, in particular, with Israel.

Thank you for coming here. Good luck and be strong.

Mr. Fayyad. Thank you very much, my friend, President Rodríguez Zapatero. Thank you very much for hosting this important event which has coincided with the launch of the mixed Hispano-Palestinian High Commission.

After listening to Rodríguez Zapatero's words, I can say that these truly reflect the exceptional importance of the matter. On the one hand, they reflect an attitude of cooperation and collaboration between Palestine and Spain and they also distinguish the level of cooperation that exists between our two countries.

As Mr. Rodríguez Zapatero said, this all points towards the setting up of a Palestinian State as being inevitable. For us, this represents something of great importance, above all within the framework of what we have been doing at the Palestinian National Authority to lay the foundations for the creation of the State of Palestine in the whole territory since 1967, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, and above all in East Jerusalem, as the capital of our country, of our State. This all represents an additional step in the direction of strengthening the concept of the State of Palestine and hence for it to move from a conceptual State to a real State; a palpable, tangible reality which represents the right of the Palestinians to have their own State like other peoples in the world.

We thus greatly appreciate this effort on the part of the Kingdom of Spain and this framework of cooperation and of government.

Hence, this represents a great help and a great support for the Palestinian National Authority on its road to building the State of Palestine. This also falls within the framework of the efforts of the European Union to support the process of building the State of Palestine.

Furthermore, this meeting has been an opportunity for our Ministers to exchange opinions and to debate ways to prepare our collaboration. It has also been an opportunity to once again see the support offered by the Spanish Government, both at a moral level, and at an economic and political level.

This all falls, as I mentioned before, within the framework of the role of the European Union. We hope that this role grows to enable the fruits of the process and policies to become a reality, to put an end to the Israeli occupation and to help the Palestinian people have their own country. And so we agree with President Rodríguez Zapatero in the need for the European Union to thus play a more dynamic role to enable us to achieve this common objective.

As Mr. Rodríguez Zapatero also mentioned, we would like to stress how serious we are, how serious the Palestinian National Authority is, in respect of its insistence on achieving the establishment of the State of Palestine on the basis of democratic criteria, but including all of the 1967 territories. Consequently, it is necessary to put an end to the Israeli occupation of these territories, something of great importance to us. Whilst it is true that this is important for the Israelis, it is also important for the region and for the whole Arab world.

Therefore, this is an opportunity for me to reiterate my gratitude for everything you have done in favour of bilateral relations at a diplomatic level. I would also like to express my gratitude for raising the status of the Palestinian representation in Spain and say that we wish to truly aspire to take this final step, so that the State of Palestine has its own Embassy in Madrid, in the same way as other countries. We also aspire, through this High Commission, to continue with the work we have begun in relation to the consolidation of the Palestinian institutions in favour of the construction of the State of Palestine, both at a level of public authorities and of infrastructures, where we have received aid, not only from Spain, but also from other EU countries and Arab countries.

We reiterate our gratitude for all that you are doing, both personally and institutionally, for the Palestinian cause. So thank you very much for everything that you are doing and, above all, for the role you are personally playing in the dialogue process of the Alliance of Civilisations.

You highlighted the importance that we should give in Palestine to a future State having the criteria and values that we share with other peoples as regards respect for rights, for coexistence and for equality. This is truly the path that we seek to take to exercise our rights and, of course, in this way we will be able to live in a free and dignified manner.

Thank you very much.

Q. For Mr. Fayyad. The Palestinian Primer Minister announced a few months ago his intention to unilaterally declare an independent State of Palestine within the next two years. I would like to know if this plan is still in the pipeline now that this new negotiation process has begun or, at any event, how this plan to unilaterally declare a State of Palestine can be integrated within these negotiations, and also how Hamas is going to be integrated within this negotiation process.

I would like to know Mr. Rodríguez Zapatero's opinion on the role of the European Union - which some feel is practically zero - in the reactivation of this direct negotiation process, and what concrete expectations he has for the Barcelona Summit and whether, during this Summit, given that the possibility exists that Mr. Obama is in the region, on the Iberian Peninsula during these dates, the possibility has been discussed of inviting him to participate in some way, thus taking advantage of his new commitment to the region.

Mr. Fayyad. As regards the question related to the unilateral declaration, the truth is that on 26 August 2009, we declared a programme to end the occupation and to build a State. It is a programme of processes, of measures and preparatory steps for the construction, for the preparation of the establishment of the State of Palestine. That is what we declared one year ago, and a few days ago we also spoke about the priorities of this programme now in its second year and we are very hopeful of achieving the objectives of this programme. This is the document that we presented a few days ago, entitled "A Date with Liberty" which includes various measures regarding the establishment of the State of Palestine.

We are, of course, very convinced that we are going to spare no effort to achieve these objectives, but on no occasion did I unilaterally declare a State of Palestine, but rather we are talking about processes, measures and steps to be taken. Obviously one of the important steps is to put an end to the Israeli occupation and recover the territories of 1967. This is very important for the construction of the State of Palestine.

We are faced with two parallel paths: the political path, which aspires to put an end to the Israeli occupation, of course with the combined efforts of the international community, and even of the European Union; and another different path, which is paving the way for the construction of the State, which is contained in this document.

So, to achieve the right conditions for the establishment of the State of Palestine, I believe that there should be strong Palestinian institutions that can respond to the aspirations and needs of the Palestinian people, in the same way as in any other State that fulfils and respects its duties to its people.

On the other hand, we also aspire to these achievements representing support for the political process and in order for our people to react positively. Hence we rely heavily on those political efforts being made to put an end to the Israeli occupation. But I believe that in all these preparatory steps, and despite all the difficulties encountered along the way, such as the embargo on the Gaza Strip and other types of obstacles that we also face in the West Bank, with many restrictions imposed by the Israelis that really hinder the development process; despite all of that, much of the programme has been achieved in the first year and that in 2011 the whole world is going to clearly see that Palestinians are working very seriously to establish a political State.

And hence, we aspire and hope that the political process has also achieved important things, in such a way that they are compatible with appropriate factors for the construction of the State of Palestine. All of this will represent further pressure as regards the political process and the end of the occupation.

President of the Government. The European Union and its Member States are continually working in favour of dialogue towards peace in the Middle East with Palestine and Israel. There are Ministers for Foreign Affairs working almost every day, in a special way, such as Minister Moratinos, as you are all aware.

As regards the stage of direct dialogue, there is a plan under way. The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority has expressed, and my opinion is coincidental, that the European Union should play a greater role and that this could be a positive factor to such end.

This is our opinion as the Government of Spain, and this is the opinion that we are going to convey to the European institutions, and of course to the North American Administration and that we have conveyed to the Palestinian Authority.

The Union for the Mediterranean Summit will be held and will be called when the conditions are right so that this can also be a positive factor vis-à-vis the situation in the Middle East. Hence, we are working in this direction with various possible dates; we are not yet going to announce the final dates and, of course, there are not yet any details as to attendees, expect for those members of the Union for the Mediterranean, the parties and countries that form a part of this important forum that can contribute to the peace process.

We need to be prudent and patient, knowing that we are dealing with an extremely delicate matter, more so once the direct dialogue process is under way. And once the factors are in place that allow us, together with the European Union, to set a date and call the Summit, we will logically do this with a strong emphasis on helping the dialogue towards peace.

Mr. Fayyad. I think this question was also for me and I would like to say that I am in full agreement with President Rodríguez Zapatero. This is also our position.

Q. When you talk about the possibility of establishing a State of Palestine, there is a situation as regards the occupation, whereby Israel has many settlements on Palestinian territory, and I believe that on 26 September there will be a process to supposedly speed up the process to establish new settlements. However, what would happen if, as of 26 September, they once again start to build new settlements, or if they don't pull out or if no agreement was reached that you support?

Mr. Fayyad. The settlements truly represent a destructive obstacle to the peace process. They have impeded the peace process and they have weakened it, furthermore, they have caused credibility to be lost in achieving the end of the occupation. The settlements, both at a conceptual level and as a principle, are contrary to the principle of the establishment of the State of Palestine on the occupied territories, above all in relation to East Jerusalem. Furthermore, the settlements are a clear violation of international law and this is evidenced by the number of resolutions adopted by the Security Council.

And hence I believe that a common position should be adopted by the international community, and that the European Union should also consider that the settlements are a clear violation of international law.

And now, in response to your question about 26 September, which is the date on which the period of the provisional suspension of the settlements comes to an end, I believe that this is odd because it is paradoxical to see that the settlements were suspended precisely when there were no talks under way, and yet now, just as talks begin, the suspension comes to an end. This is a very strange paradox because I believe that the settlements should be handled more seriously, and I'm not simply saying this because of the negative consequences that the continuation of the settlements may have on the occupied territories.

As I mentioned earlier, the fact that that they continue with these settlements precisely on the territories which are going to house the State of Palestine is contradictory; that much is clear. It also has a detrimental effect on the credibility of the peace process, on the very essence of this process and on how this process is viewed and on the expectations arising from it. We really need a credible process which the man in the street can confide in, above all after so many years of difficulties, because Israel has put a great deal of effort into creating a reality on the land which is incompatible with the legality of the situation.

I thus believe that the international community should make an outright declaration opposing the settlements, which are illegal, and also start to take measures to put an end to the Israeli occupation in an emphatic manner, above all should there be problems or difficulties in the peace process.

Q. My question is for the President of the Spanish Government; and if you please, it is a current affairs matter in Spain. I would like to ask you, Mr. President, if, following the statement from ETA, whether the Government believes that Batasuna has any possibility of standing in the local elections next year, as the radical left requested. At any event, does the Government expect any more moves by the terrorist group to bring about its presence in the elections?

Secondly, the date has been announced today for elections to the Regional Government of Catalonia: 28 November. My question is whether you are going to remain firm to the commitment you made to President Montilla to continue supporting self-governance in Catalonia even if the PSC doesn't win these elections but rather if they are won by the CiU party, as all the polls point to.

President of the Government. As regards the first question, the Government considers that all the democratic political parties have made the same assessment of the statement from ETA; one of deep disappointment. Statements are now of no value, only decisions, and only one decision is valid and it is one which can be expressed in few words: disarm forever. The 'abertzale left' should know this. Moreover, in my opinion, it knows that this is the only expectation of the democratic political parties.

And I see this unanimous reaction of all the democratic political parties as positive. This strengthens the fight to bring ETA to an end.

And those who unlawfully do not emphatically condemn violence are in exactly the same situation today as before the statement.

As regards the Catalan elections, which seem to have come around, and as regards the commitment I made in the Lower House of Parliament [Congreso], and also to President Montilla himself, to strengthen policies that allow the development of self-governance after the ruling on the Estatut and the relationship, the understanding among a significant part of Catalan society, which has expressed a very clear opinion, and the Government - I would prefer it to be all the political parties in our country rather than just the Government - this is a commitment that goes further than just these elections and the next ones.

For the Spanish Socialist Workers Party this is a serious commitment with a wide scope which can be expressed in a principle: we respect the feelings of Catalan society and this respect allows, with a constitutional framework for identity, self-governance, coexistence and a meeting point to be guaranteed.

We have to look at the agenda once again, the agenda for a meeting point, for constructive positions, for understanding and there is no better occasion than elections.

But, and I insist, this position is very serious with regard to Catalonia and goes beyond just one electoral process or another.
Thank you.