, high representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and secretary-general of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union, speaks to Ahmed Sabry about the peace process, Iran and cooperation with Egypt Is there any new coordination between the EU and the US administration to push the peace process in the Middle East, especially after Barack Obama's speech in Cairo? Is the EU willing to accept dealing with a unity government of both Fatah and Hamas ? Since he took office, President Obama made it very clear that the US would redouble its efforts to help find a solution to the Middle East conflict. The speech he made in Cairo was also very clear in this regard. The European Union and the US are on the same wavelength and working together to help relaunch the peace process. During my recent trip to the region, I talked several times to George Mitchell, the US special envoy for the Middle East, and we also met in Beirut. We will continue to work closely with the US, and also with our other Quartet partners, the UN and Russia, and the countries of the region. But Israel and the Palestinians have to take decisive steps to make a solution possible. In order to move forward, it is essential that the Palestinians resolve their divisions and form a unity government that can concentrate all its efforts on the peace process and on tackling the numerous problems the Palestinian people are facing. We will remain engaged with the Palestinian people, but everyone must accept their responsibilities. Netanyahu endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, but he puts forward very difficult conditions such as requiring the recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people. How can the EU impose pressure on Israel to accept the Arab peace initiative, allow the return of refugees, and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinians? What will the position of the European Union be in case Israel refuses to accept that? I listened very carefully to the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think that in the speech there are very important things. The fact that a Likud-led government publicly accepts the two-state solution is certainly a step in the right direction. We collectively have to build on that. There is a possibility to relaunch a peace process. Of course many problems will need to be solved, but that belongs to another phase of the negotiations. What is the EU's plan to deal with Hizbullah in the event of its refusal to disarm? How should we assess your discussion with a representative of Hizbullah, despite the inclusion of the party on the US list of terrorist organisations? During my visit to Lebanon, I met President Michel Suleiman and leaders and representatives of all the political forces of the country, including a representative of Hizbullah, which is a group present in the Lebanese parliament that is not included on the EU list of terrorist organisations. My message was the same to all of them. After the elections, it is now important to form a government of consensus as soon as possible with the effective capacity to govern and to undertake the reforms that are necessary for the country. All political forces have a responsibility towards the Lebanese people. I have found in all the leaders I met a sense of responsibility. I hope that everyone is going to work hard to consolidate peace and stability in Lebanon. I also stressed the necessity to implement the UN Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 1701. Are there steps by the EU to escalate pressure towards Iran after Iran's Supreme Guide Ayatollah Khamenei's speech? What is the position of the EU if there is continued suppression of demonstrators? I am following very closely the events in Iran and I was very much impressed by the high level of participation as well as by the numbers of people on the streets to make their voices heard after the results were announced. It is essential that the results of the elections reflect the genuine will of the people. On Friday, the EU heads of state and government met in Brussels and called on the Iranian authorities not to use violence against demonstrators. They also said that they wanted Iran to engage with the international community on a wide range of issues, including Iran's nuclear programme. Are the steps taken by the EU sufficient to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden? Is the military option enough to face piracy? The steps that we have taken, in particular the sending of the first EU naval operation EU NAVFOR-Atlanta are definitely contributing to make the waters of the region safer. We now have vessels from 14 member states plus three patrol aircraft. Since we have been there, the number of attacks on ships that register with EU NAVFOR has decreased. In March, we signed an agreement with Kenya that allows us to transfer captured pirates to Kenyan authorities for prosecution. Of course we work in close coordination with other partners present in the waters of the region, in particular NATO, India, Russia, Japan, China and the US. Since we detected an increase of piracy activity in the vicinity of the Seychelles, at the request of that country, we have extended the area of operation of EU NAVFOR. The piracy problem won't be solved without solving the situation on the ground in Somalia. Therefore EU NAVFOR is part of the global action conducted by the EU in the Horn of Africa to deal with the Somali crisis, which has political, security and humanitarian aspects. Do you think issuing an arrest warrant against the Sudanese president will help the peace process in Sudan and Darfur? Peace and justice are not contradictory aims. The victims of the atrocities in Darfur deserve justice. And Darfur deserves peace so that there are no more victims. The international community is united in supporting these efforts. This is the only way forward. The EU supports the International Criminal Court (ICC) and we call on the Sudanese authorities to cooperate with the ICC. I would like to add that what is worthy for Darfur is worthy for any part of the world. European, Asian, and African war criminals have been prosecuted in the past. It is the universal character of international humanitarian law that gives it its force. What are the aspects that require more cooperation between Egypt and the European Union? The relations between the EU and Egypt are excellent, both economically -- the EU is Egypt's main trade partner -- and politically. The EU greatly values the constructive role of Egypt, the greatest Arab nation and a key regional player at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa. Egypt's co- presidency of the Union for the Mediterranean and its positive mediation in the peace process is highly appreciated. I would also like to underline that the EU and Egypt have recently agreed to further upgrade their relations and we are going to discuss soon how to proceed.
