E.c. Presses for Larger Role in Mideast Multilateral Talks

The European Community is pressing for a larger role in the multilateral talks on Middle East regional issues.

The pan-European body views them, foremost, as “confidence-building measures” aimed at getting the Middle East antagonists to think in terms of cooperating. They complement the bilateral political talks between Israelis and Arabs and Israelis and Palestinians that are the core of the peace process launched in Madrid last October.

The E.C. made its points at a steering committee meeting in Lisbon last week convened to assess what progress the multilaterals made in their first round last month.

“The idea of bigger participation by Europe in the peace process was an integral part of all my speeches in Lisbon and it was very positively received by most of the participants,” said Leonardo Mathias, Portugal’s ambassador to the E.C.

Mathias headed the E.C. delegation at the Steering Committee meeting because Portugal currently chairs the E.C. Council of Ministers.

The Steering Committee consists of senior officials from the more than 30 countries participating in the multilateral phase. They are not confined to the Middle East parties but include the United States, Russia, Canada, China and the 12 E.C. member states.

Five multilateral working groups met in several capitals last month. The E.C. chaired the group on economic development, which met in Brussels and is to meet in Paris later this year.

Also to meet again are the water resources group, in Washington; refugees, in Ottawa; arms control, in Moscow; and environment, in the Netherlands.

The steering committee apparently has not reached a consensus on Arab demands to establish two more working groups, on Jerusalem and on human rights.

The committee, meanwhile, has appealed to Syria and Lebanon, which boycotted the first round of multilateral talks, to join the next.