The European Union is willing to reach a trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority, according to E.U. officials.
At a meeting here last week, the 15 E.U. foreign ministers invited the European Commission, the union’s executive body, to start discussions with the Palestinian Authority about the accord.
The ministers agreed to start the discussions after the Palestinians held their Jan. 20 elections, which “conferred democratic legitimacy on the Palestinian Authority,” according to a recent E.U. statement.
According to diplomatic sources here, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will send soon a delegation to Brussels to begin exploratory talks with the European Commission about the accord, which will also open the door to regular diplomatic contacts between the two parties.
E.U. sources said there are some legal obstacles to reaching an E.U.- Palestinian accord, the most notable being that no Palestinian state exists.
The two sides will seek to reach an interim accord that will not interfere with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which are slated to resume in May, the sources said.
The Palestinians already benefit from E.U. concessions that allow all their industrial products and many farm goods into the 15 E.U. member-nations duty- free.
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