Watchman Newsletter

All for One?

Foreign Policy (Link) - Annie Lowrey (November 6, 2009)

The Lisbon Treaty creates an EU president, sure. But it's the new foreign policy czar who might really change the world.

Something that might augur a truly titanic shift in foreign affairs happened this week. It involves possibly sweeping foreign-policy changes in two of the world's five official nuclear states. It promises to alter the Middle East peace process, negotiations with Iran, and policies regarding Russian missile defense. It will likely necessitate scores of new embassies. It directly affects 500 million people and indirectly affects the rest of the world.

On Tuesday, Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, grumblingly signed the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. His was the last signature needed to ratify the agreement, which streamlines Brussels's byzantine and slow-moving policymaking process and creates two leadership roles, an elected president with a 30-month term and a high representative for foreign policy.

Most focus has centered on the former position, whose precise responsibilities and powers EU leaders plan to hash out at a Nov. 11 summit. (The treaty comes into formal effect in December, and the new president is expected to take office on New Year's Day.) The somewhat sexy idea of a European president has led to wild speculation as to who might fill it, with dozens of potential candidates mentioned, most often the silver-tongued and internationally renowned Tony Blair and the barely known center-right Dutch leader Jan Peter Balkenende.

But it's actually the latter gig that has the most potential to transform how Brussels works and how Europe relates to the world. The president is likely to be just a figurehead rather than any kind of revolutionary leader. Just this week, a joint statement from the leaders of Denmark, Finland, and Ireland stressed that the president should be a "chairman," not a "chief." The characteristic most often cited as necessary is "consensus-building." For the eight years that the Lisbon Treaty and its prior incarnations have wended their way through various EU and European institutions, the concern has always been that the president might have too much authority, not too little.

Climate tops Brussels' agenda for EU-US summit

EU Observer (Link) - Valentina Pop (November 2, 2009)

Climate change will feature heavily at an EU-US summit on Tuesday (3 November) as Brussels and Washington each try to find out what the other side is going to bring to the global negotiating table next month.

Top officials from the European Commission and the Swedish EU presidency will meet US president Barack Obama and his team in Washington in a bid to feel out the American position a month ahead of the UN-led climate change conference in Copenhagen aimed at securing a global political agreement on carbon emissions.

The first formal EU-US summit since Mr Obama took office, apart from an informal get together in April this year in Prague, will have one and half hours on Tuesday (3 November) dedicated to four topics: climate change, economic recovery after the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, Afghanistan-Pakistan and Iran.

Solana to Haaretz: New rules of war needed for age of terror

Haaretz (Link) - Adar Primor (October 25, 2009)

For exactly 10 years Javier Solana has represented the "international face" of Europe; 10 years in which he has closely followed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with all its turns and crises; a decade in which, to a great extent he was the answer to the famous question of Henry Kissinger: "Who should I call when I want to talk to Europe?"

To a certain extent Solana, the head of Europe's Common Foreign and Security Policy, has served simultaneously as the counterpart of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates.

Soon, the most complicated role in the world may come to an end: with the final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty - the constitutional document of the European Union - the EU will appoint, for the first time, a foreign minister, who will head a European diplomatic service. Solana will step down. A proverbial moment before he does, he has agreed to grant Haaretz an exclusive interview.

The 67-year old Solana, who was in Israel this week as a guest at the President's Conference, is uncertain what the future holds for him. He is also not willing to reveal whom, among the candidates for the new position, he prefers. He prefers to talk about the day to day issues that were his bread and butter during the past decade.

For example, he would like to understand what troubled Israel that led to its decision to prevent French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to travel to the Gaza Strip this week. After all, he says, the visit was humanitarian in nature. He was told that Israel would like to prevent a "Hamas festival" that will grant legitimacy to the terrorist group ruling the Gaza strip.

EU, U.S., to form energy council

UPI (Link) (October 24, 2009)

A joint European-U.S. energy council to coordinate policy on both sides of the Atlantic is expected to begin work in November, a U.S. official said.

The official, speaking on condition his name not be used, told the EU Observer that President Obama and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, are scheduled to announce the council at a Nov. 3 summit meeting in Washington. The council is to hold its first meeting the next day.

"Energy is an important foreign policy priority for the U.S. and a very important component of our bilateral relationship with the E.U.," the official said. "We wanted to have a form of engagement with the Europeans to reflect that and to raise it to the policy level, to the cabinet level."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Energy Secretary Stephen Chu are to sit on the council, along with Andris Piebalgs, E.C. commissioner for energy; Benita Fererro-Waldner, external relations; and Janez Potocnik, science and research. Javier Solana, the chief diplomat for the union, and two Swedish ministers, Carl Bildt and Maud Olofsson, representing the rotating E.U. presidency, will join them.

Annual Conference of the Institute for Security Studies of the European Union

Council of the European Union (Link) - European Union High Representative For Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana (October 22, 2009)

Dear friends, We are working hard to make a difference on every international question that is affecting our interests and values. We are now able to take decisions in real time; not just publish a communiqué one week after the event. From climate change to the International Criminal Court, we can say with a straight face that the EU is playing a leadership role. The European Union, more than anyone else, is constantly defending a vision of the world where rules are respected, the vulnerable are protected and solidarity is enacted.

Often we talk ourselves down in Europe. You all know the refrain of Europe being too divided, too slow and too soft. Long on rhetoric, short on delivery. And Yes in various areas we still under-perform compared to our potential. But a little perspective is in order here. Now we are taking executive action in a fast-moving world.

Building on the improvements of the last ten years, and with the new opportunities of the Lisbon Treaty within reach, we should plan our next steps : alert to new problems and dangers; guided by our common values. In partnership with others. And with the conviction that each on our own is unable to deal effectively with the problems of our globalised world. We know that acting together is the only way to defend our interests. But we have also defined acting together as being a strategic common interest. That is why European integration is both a means but also an end in itself.

I am convinced that it is only through further integration that Europeans will be able to assert themselves in a more complex world. A world characterised by big power shifts, multi-polarity and new security threats. A world where other narratives and other ways of doing things are gaining ground. We need to understand this world - at a deeper level than we often do. For this we need more common European assessments of what is driving change; how it is affecting our interests and what our options are to respond.

Solana: Palestinian state in 1967 borders

YNet News (Link) (October 21, 2009)

EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana said the European Union's goal is to establish a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders.

Speaking in Ramallah on Wednesday, Solana said the sooner this happens, the better.

Solana met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday morning, and is scheduled to meet later with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

His visit to the Palestinian Authority is aimed at highlighting the EU's commitment to the region and supporting the PA leadership.

Solana is slated to visit Israel on Thursday, and meet with Israeli officials.

During his visit to Ramallah, Solana said there may be a need to exchange certain territories, but he said this should not disrupt the territory's continuity.

He said EU's stance in the matter is similar to that of the Quartet on the Middle East, and expressed his support of Abbas' efforts to unite the Palestinian people in light of the current dispute between his Fatah party and Hamas.

Solana's meeting with Abbas came before the latter's trip to Egypt. After the meeting, Solana said that Abbas took off to Cairo where reconciliation talks between the two Palestinian factions are ongoing, and stressed that Abbas is dedicated to closing a deal.

Later Wednesday, Solana told the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem that the world must not accept an Iranian nuclear bomb. According to Solana, "Tomorrow is today and we have no time to lose."

As for the peace process in the Middle East, Solana called for limited negotiations. "The time to do it is now. Nothing has been done in the world without taking risks."

Report suggests Solana’s term will be extended beyond October — What Holly Thinks

Fulfilled Prophecy (Link) - Holly Pivec (October 13, 2009)

For those of us who have been following the theory that the 70th Week of Daniel began Jan. 1, 2007, things keep getting more interesting.

First, Javier Solana — the chief architect of the new European Neighbourhood Policy which launched Jan. 1, 2007 — announced that he planned to retire October 17. Now with this date only days away, he has been asked to extend his term until the end of October and possibly — according to a new report released yesterday by the Brookings Institution — until at least the end of December. The purpose for the extension is so EU leaders can sort out all the legal issues involved with the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, if and when it is fully ratified. Read the report here.

Second, Solana’s term as the secretary general of the Western European Union is also set to expire Nov. 24, and certain EU leaders would like to see the entire WEU dissolved. Yet, according to the same Brookings report, the WEU is “unwilling to be dissolved.” This news is fascinating to those of us who have considered the possibility that the 10 WEU nations may be the 10-nation military alliance foretold in Bible prophecy.

Third, Solana announced his retirement at a very ironic time — when he was poised to become the High Representative for Foreign Security and Defense under the Lisbon Treaty — a position with many increased powers. Did he perhaps hope that, by retiring from his current post, he would be appointed to that new position when the Lisbon Treaty finally went into force?

So, what will be the fate of Solana, the WEU and the Lisbon Treaty? All we can do is continue to wait and see.

EU makes its mark on the world stage

Guardian UK (Link) - Javier Solana (October 11, 2009)

This is a landmark year for the European Union's role in the world. It marks 10 years of European security and defence policy (ESDP), during which the EU has become a global provider of security, making a real difference to people's lives all over the world. At the same time, we are on the threshold of a new era when the Lisbon treaty enters into force and provides fresh impetus for our external action.

In 10 years, we have deployed 20 operations on three continents to help prevent violence, restore peace and rebuild after a conflict. From Kabul to Pristina, from Ramallah to Kinshasa, the EU is monitoring borders, overseeing peace agreements, training police forces, building up criminal justice systems and protecting shipping from pirate attacks. Thanks to our achievements, we are receiving more and more calls to help in a crisis or after a war. We have the credibility, the values and the will to do this.

The EU was ahead of its time in 1999. The comprehensive, multi-faceted nature of our approach was novel. And the EU remains the only organisation that can call on a full panoply of instruments and resources that complement the traditional foreign policy tools of its member states, both to pre-empt or prevent a crisis and to restore peace and rebuild institutions after a conflict.

This is where the EU's unique added value lies. We combine humanitarian aid and support for institution-building and good governance with crisis-management capacities, technical and financial assistance, and political dialogue and mediation. The EU's joint civilian-military approach makes us flexible and able to offer tailor-made solutions to complex problems. Today's conflicts demonstrate more clearly than ever that a military solution is neither the sole nor the best option, particularly during the stabilisation of a crisis – a truth President Barack Obama has also emphasised.

After Irish vote on Lisbon Treaty, EU looks anxiously to Czech president, British Conservatives

China View (Link) - Paul Ames (October 7, 2009)

Ireland's vote to approve the European Union's Lisbon Treaty has left the future of the EU in the hands of an odd couple.

One is a thrusting young British politician raised in riches and educated at one of the world's most exclusive schools. The other is a castle-dwelling former banker who thinks global warming is a myth invented by leftists plotting to take over the world.

David Cameron, an alumni of England's ultra-posh Eton Collage, is the leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, which wants to overturn Britain's approval of the treaty if, as is widely expected, it topples the Labor government in next year's general election.

The climate-change-denier is Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who has steadfastly refused to sign the Lisbon Treaty despite his parliament's vote in favor of the blueprint for reforming the way the EU does business.

This unlikely duo is the reason why celebrations were muted in the corridors of power at EU headquarters in Brussels last week when Irish voters approved the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum.

EU asks top diplomat to stay on with treaty under cloud

EU Business (Link) (October 7, 2009)

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt asked the EU's top diplomat Wednesday to remain in his job until the end of the month, amid doubts over when the bloc's reform treaty will enter force.

"I spoke this morning to Javier Solana," Reinfeldt told reporters in Brussels, "and asked him to stay on until the end of October in his capacity."

Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief and also top international nuclear negotiator with Iran, was due to step down on October 17, with his post to disappear once the Lisbon Treaty enters force, possibly next year.

The treaty is meant to ease decision-making in the expanding European Union and create new posts such as a longer-term president and a new foreign policy supremo.

But a legal challenge to the treaty in the Czech Republic and threats by that country's eurosceptic president not to sign the text mean the whole process is under a cloud.

The mandate of the EU's executive arm -- the European Commission -- also ends on October 31, and Reinfeldt said Wednesday that he was heading into "unknown territory" by being forced to take decisions with an outdated treaty.

Under the existing Nice Treaty, at least one country would have to give up its coveted EU commissioner job, while under the new package no one would be forced to do so.

"When we have the clarity on when the Lisbon Treaty will come into force, I will begin the consultations" on the new jobs, he said. "But we do not yet know enough."

Iran Agrees to Send Enriched Uranium to Russia

The New York Times (Link) - Steven Erlanger & Mark Landler (October 1, 2009)

Iran agreed on Thursday in talks with the United States and other major powers to open its newly revealed uranium enrichment plant near Qum to international inspection in the next two weeks and to send most of its openly declared enriched uranium outside Iran to be turned into fuel for a small reactor that produces medical isotopes, senior American and other Western officials said.

Iran’s agreement in principle to export most of its enriched uranium for processing — if it happens — would represent a major accomplishment for the West, reducing Iran’s ability to make a nuclear weapon quickly and buying more time for negotiations to bear fruit.

If Iran has secret stockpiles of enriched uranium, however, the accomplishment would be hollow, a senior American official conceded.

The officials described the long day of talks here with Iran, the first such discussions in which the United States has participated fully, as a modest success on a long and complicated road. Iran had at least finally engaged with the big powers on its nuclear program after more than a year and had agreed to some tangible, confidence-building steps before another meeting with the same participants before the end of this month.

But despite the relatively promising outcome, the Obama administration was at pains to strike a cautious tone, given Iran’s history of duplicity, its crackdown on its own people after the tainted June presidential elections and President Obama’s concern about being perceived as naïve or susceptible to a policy of Iranian delays.

Mr. Obama, speaking in Washington, called the talks “constructive,” but warned Tehran that he was prepared to move quickly to more stringent sanctions if negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions dragged on.

Greater EU harmony with foreign service, says diplomat

EU Observer (Link) - Andrew Willis (September 21, 2009)

An EU diplomatic service would greatly help the bloc define more unified positions when dealing with external countries says the European Commission's top representative in China.

Ambassador Serge Abou also sees future EU ambassadors becoming "primus inter pares [first among equals]" in areas of EU competence, when compared to member state diplomats working overseas.

"Their role will not be to represent the view of France, Germany or Spain but to represent the views of all of us [27 member states]," the Frenchman with over 35 years experience working in the European Commission told EUobserver in a recent interview.

The commission currently has over 150 delegations overseas, primarily dealing with issues where member states have handed authority over to the Brussels-based institution.

Dutch premier now likely candidate for presidency of European Council

Irish Times (Link) - Jamie Smyth (September 18, 2009)

DUTCH PRIME minister Jan Peter Balkenende has emerged as a possible candidate for the post of European Council president, which will be created if the Lisbon Treaty enters into force.

Two Dutch newspapers De Telegraaf and Het Financieele Dagblad cited three sources in Mr Balkenende’s Christian Democrat party yesterday, who claim to know “for sure” that he is a leading contender for the job.

Speculation is beginning to mount about the likely identity of the new council president following the re-election of José Manuel Barroso for another five-year term as European Commission president this week. Britain’s Gordon Brown said formal talks on filling the position were not on the agenda of the summit and could only take place after the Irish vote. But several names have been linked to the €280,000 a year job including Tony Blair, former Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen, the current French premier Francois Fillon and former Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzalez.

Mr Blair is likely to face opposition to his candidature because of his central role in supporting the war in Iraq. Mr Lipponen could also face opposition from former eastern block countries such as Poland because he works for Gazprom on the proposed Nord Stream gas pipeline. Luxembourg premier Jean Claude Junker, whose name has previously been linked to the job, also seems to have dropped out of the running in recent months.

The post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs is also due to be filled next month following the retirement of incumbent Javier Solana. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier could become a candidate for this job if his party loses the upcoming German elections to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats. Other potential candidates include Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt, Austria’s Ursula Plassnik, and the Finnish commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn.

A final decision on both jobs will be taken at the European Council on October 30th.

"Europe in the World"

Council of the European Union (Link) - Javier Solana at Harvard University (September 17, 2009) [Emphasis below mine]

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to be back at Harvard.

The last time, we discussed whether the US and Europe, Mars and Venus, could be reconciled. The answer today is even more obvious than it was then. But we have new issues to grapple with and a new geo-political landscape. Again the question is what the US and Europe can and should do together.

Before we get to that, let me assess the changed context. Ours is a world in flux. One where everything is speeding up: politically, economically and technologically. The net result is growing complexity. There is no single narrative or template to guide us. Chaos and hypermodernity live side by side. Integration and disintegration co-exist. No wonder many of our citizens feel confused, even lost.

Against this background, we need to be flexible and principled at the same time. For our core values have not changed. Nor has our determination to preserve them at home and support them abroad.

What is really changing the world is globalisation. It is leading to deeper interdependence and, probably, to multi-polarity.

Globalisation is good. And anyway pretty much unstoppable. It spreads prosperity and makes us richer culturally. It brings people together across continents. Of course, it has a dark side too. It makes us more vulnerable to shocks and has brought new problems in its wake. It needs a human face.

Globalisation is our child, the child of our ideas. But we can no longer run the world as we used to. We have to adjust. It means new powers are rising while older ones are playing new roles. The financial crisis has shrunk the timeline. The need to reposition ourselves is not a challenge for the medium-term. It is an issue for today.

EU countries practice 'secret' diplomacy, Hamas says

EU Observer (Link) - Andrew Rettman (September 14, 2009)

High-ranking officials from European countries hold talks with Hamas on a weekly basis despite an EU ban on diplomatic contact, a spokesman for the group has told EUobserver.

"We meet a lot of them from France, from Spain, from Germany, from Italy, from England, from Luxembourg. When they listen to us and we spend a couple of hours with them, they understand what is the real image of Hamas," the group's spokesman, Ghazi Hamad, told this website in a telephone interview on Saturday (12 September).

"None of them are ministers in their governments ... some of them are ambassadors. Some are assistants to ambassadors," he said. "Some of them are very close to the president of their country, or to the foreign minister."

Any high-level European visits would go against the spirit of a 2006 EU decision to halt talks with the militant organisation. The EU in 2003 also listed Hamas as a terrorist entity, putting a legal block on financial assistance.

"I can't give any names," Mr Hamad said. "Most of them want to keep it a secret. They want to continue contact but they don't want to be pestered by the Israeli authorities when they come."

European Defence League Poised for Debate on Dormant Pact

EU Observer (Link) - Andrew Rettman (September 3, 2009)

A group of the EU's major foreign policy players is waiting to find out what happens to the Lisbon Treaty before deciding if it should keep or scrap an old "musketeer" defence pact.

The security pact is found in Article V of the Modified Brussels Treaty, created in 1954 at the height of the Cold War.

"If any of the high contracting parties should be the object of an armed attack in Europe, the other high contracting parties will ...afford the party so attacked all the military and other aid and assistance in their power," it states.

The contracting parties are EU and Nato member states France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Greece.

The pact is similar to Nato's Article 5, which is sometimes called the musketeer clause as it echoes the "all for one, one for all" motto of the protagonists in Alexandre Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers.

The Brussels Treaty is significant because it is the only European defence pact in existence.

Israel may soon agree on settlement freeze: Solana

EU Business (Link) - AFP (August 31, 2009)

Israel may agree to a West Bank settlement freeze by mid-September and is discussing the technical aspects of a deal with the United States, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday.

Solana also said after meeting the Israeli premier that a summit between the US, Israeli and Palestinian leaders to relaunch the dormant peace process could take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at the end of September.

"I spoke to the prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu)... I got the clear sentiment that there is a possibility to get to an agreement before the beginning of the General Assembly that will allow us to resume negotiations," he told reporters.

"I hope we will arrive at some agreement sufficiently constructive (for) the meeting in New York of three parties" to take place, added Solana, who was meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday as part of a regional tour.

Israeli officials have been engaged in intensive talks with President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell as Washington presses its close ally to halt settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Solana: Syria ready to resume talks

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (August 31, 2009)

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Monday told President Shimon Peres that he got the impression during his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad that that latter was interested in resuming negotiations with Israel.

Peres replied, "If Assad is interested in peace with Israel, he must enter into direct negotiations without preconditions."

The president stressed the importance of remembering that Israel's presence in the Golan Heights was the result of a Syrian attack, adding that "Israel has every right to ensure that we will not be attacked again."

Peres added, "Hizbullah is Syria's reserve army, which acts on its behalf as a terrorist organization. Assad must decide whether he wants peace or continued conflict. I believe that we must try and make peace with Syria, but there is no need for intermediaries," he concluded.

Solana and Peres also discussed the advancement of the Israel-Palestinian peace process and of the Arab peace initiative, as well as the strengthening of relations between Israel and the European Union.

Syrian DM Tells Troops to Prepare for 'Dangers Ahead'

YNet News (Link) - Roee Nahmias (August 31, 2009)

Syrian Defense Minister Ali Habib called on his troops to increase their training "for the challenges and dangers ahead."

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the Syrian Navy, Habib said that "the Zionist movement is taking unprecedented racist steps and is a source for concern worldwide," adding that Syria was at one of its most sensitive times ever.

Meanwhile European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana conveyed the message to Israeli President Shimon Peres that he got the impression that Syrian President Bashar Assad is interested in renewing peace talks with Israel.

Solana, who is in Israel after meeting with Assad in Damascus, met with Peres at his residence in Jerusalem and told him he believes Assad is interested in resuming talks.

Peres told Solana in his meeting, "If Assad is interested in peace with Israel, he must take the route of direct negotiations, without preconditions."

In reference to Hezbollah, Peres said that it is "Syria's reservist army that acts as a terrorist organization in all manners in Syria's service. Assad needs to make a decision whether he wants peace or continued conflict. I think peace with Syria should be attempted, but there is not need to make use of mediators."

He added that it must be remembered that Israel is in the Golan Heights because it was attacked and has a right to ensure that it will not be attacked again.

Solana: EU supports future de facto Palestinian state

China View (Link) (August 31, 2009)

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday evening that he supports the Palestinian vision on establishing a de facto independent Palestinian state within two years.

"We (EU) support Dr. Fayyad's plan," Solana told a joint news conference with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad following a one-hour meeting in Ramallah.

"We support the plan. It is very good and it shows the fact that the Palestinian government is functioning," Solana told reporters.

Last Tuesday, Fayyad presented a plan of establishing a de facto independent state within two years on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 including east Jerusalem, regardless of whether the peace talks with Israel succeed or not.

Israel has downplayed Fayyad's plan, saying it will be a unilateral decision and it would stop the plan.

EU foreign policy chief Solana to tour Middle East

Earth Times (Link) (August 28, 2009)

The European Union's top diplomat, Javier Solana, plans to tour the Middle East next week as part of international efforts to find a resolution to the Israeli-Arab conflict, officials in Brussels said Friday. Solana, whose official title is "EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy", is expected in Damascus on Sunday for meetings with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mouallem.

On Monday, Solana travels to Israel for talks with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli government ministers.

Those meetings will take place against the backdrop of a simmering row between Israel and Sweden, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, over a recent Swedish tabloid report alleging that Israeli soldiers stole the organs of Palestinian children.

Solana will then head to Ramallah, where he plans to meet Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and officials from the EU's EUPOL mission, which is providing training and equipment to the local police force.

The EU foreign policy chief will on Tuesday head to Beirut before evening talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Liberals could aim high

European Voice (Link) (July 30, 2009)

There are remarkably few names being put forward to be the next high representative for foreign policy, a role that could go to the Liberals.

With the next European Commission president likely to come from the centre-right political family, and the first full-time president of the European Council expected to be from the centre-left, the third major institutional job, the new double-hatted high representative for foreign policy, may well go to the Liberals.

The Liberal political family has a good candidate – current European commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn, from Finland.

Rehn is widely regarded as having done a solid job as commissioner, keeping the enlargement process ticking over amid increasing opposition in French and German political circles to admitting Turkey.

Javier Solana, the current high representative, has been successful in low-key diplomatic negotiations away from the public spotlight.

Rehn has proved he would be able to operate in the same way. But Finland not being a member of NATO could count against him, as could the fact that a Danish Liberal, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is secretary-general of NATO.

ESDP@10: What lessons for the future?

Council of the European Union (Link) - Javier Solana (July 28, 2009)

The European Security and Defence Policy has reached an important milestone in its development. This year marks its tenth anniversary. I am grateful to the Presidency, the EU Institute for Strategic Studies and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs for organising this conference. I am delighted to be opening it with Carl.

Drawing the lessons from our experience of the last decade is a valuable exercise. It should include the range of key issues that we need to consider in taking ESDP forward into its second decade – policy, analysis of challenges, strategy, partnerships, structures and capabilities.

I will say a few words on these. But I would first like to reflect on how far we have come. Where I think we are now and where I think ESDP should go in the coming years.

Solana wants UN to establish 'Palestine'

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (July 12, 2009)

The European Union's top diplomat has called for the United Nations Security Council to push forward and recognize a Palestinian state even without a final-status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

According to a Reuters report, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana made the remarks Saturday during a lecture in London, saying that if agreement between the two sides could not be reached, the UN should proffer its own solution to the conflict.

"After a fixed deadline, a UN Security Council resolution should proclaim the adoption of the two-state solution," Solana was quoted as saying, adding that such a move should include resolutions regarding borders, the refugee problem, the issue of Jerusalem and security arrangements.

"It would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the UN, and set a calendar for implementation. It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimize the end of claims," Solana was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"If the parties are not able to stick to [the timetable], then a solution backed by the international community should be put on the table," he said.

Last month, Solana drew harsh condemnation from Israeli officials after he met with a Hizbullah legislator in Beirut.

The meeting with parliamentarian Hussein Hajj Hassan marked the first time a senior EU diplomat met with the Iranian-backed terror organization.

Solana - Let's force the birth of Palestine

Jerusalem Newswire (Link) - Stan Goodenough (July 12, 2009)

If Israel and the Palestinian Arabs are not prepared to compromise enough to bring about the creation of the State of Palestine in the Land of Israel, the international community should go ahead and recognize the existence of such a state, thereby making its birth a fait accompli.

This recommendation to forcefully impose the will of the world upon Israel was made Saturday by European Union foreign policy czar Javier Solana.

The Spaniard - who last month became the first senior European diplomat to meet publicly with a member of the Hizb'allah Iranian-sponsored Lebanese terror group - floated his proposal while delivering a lecture in London.

According to Reuters, Solana said the United Nations Security Council should officially pass binding international law adopting the "two-state solution" as the universally-accepted and supported formula for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Solana waits too long for creation of first multi-national foreign service

International News Services (Link) - David Haworth (July 10, 2009)

After a decade as the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy supremo, Javier Solana is to step down this autumn – sadly for him – he could not wait long enough for the creation of the world’s first multinational ‘foreign minister’ post.

“Enough is enough,” the former Spanish foreign minister and for four years head of NATO, says the EU High Representative of Foreign and Security Policy and added that he remains “calm and satisfied.”

His departure is not a surprise after such a long tenure but it comes at an ironical point. Just as he leaves, the EU will take the first concrete steps in its long held plan to establish the infrastructure of its own foreign service.

If the Lisbon Treaty is ratified towards the end of the year, it will create for Solana’s successor a much greater status than he has enjoyed. That person will, by virtue of office, become a European Commission Vice President and will be the chairman of all the Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meetings.

Even more grandiose, the carrier of Solana’s baton will head up the new EU diplomatic service – the so-called External Action Service – which will slice through traditional, bilateral diplomacy by EU members in many parts of the world.

Solana saw himself in that role, of course, but all too often could be seen bobbing about on the edge of our TV screens which recorded statesman-to-statesman encounters during critical moments in the Middle East and elsewhere. If he was frustrated, his habitual good manners concealed the fact.

Quiet struggle for succession as Solana to step down

Monsters & Critics (Link) - Dieter Ebeling (July 6, 2009)

A struggle for succession is now officially under way after Spain's Javier Solana Madariaga, the European Union's foreign policy chief for the past 10 years, announced in an interview published Sunday that 'I don't want to continue.'

The EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, as Solana is formally known, said he would not seek another term in office when the current one expires in October. He turns 67 later this month.

Solana's would-be successors, said to be plentiful as well as eminent, have probably been jockeying for position behind the scenes for some time already. However, deciding the face of the EU's external policy for the next five years will likely take a while. As with much in the European Union at the moment, filling the post depends on whether the Lisbon Treaty - which would reform the EU and give its institutions more power - can go into effect by year's end.

For that to happen, Irish voters have to approve the treaty in a second referendum following their rejection a year ago. Germany, in an expedited procedure during the current legislative period, must change a domestic law to strengthen the role of the country's legislative bodies in implementing EU laws. And the euro-skeptic presidents of Poland and the Czech Republic must put their signatures on the legislation.

The treaty under which the union operates in future will determine how much power Solana's successor holds. The Lisbon Treaty calls for the creation of an EU diplomatic service headed by the 'High Representative.' The new man - so far no women are seen as potential candidates - would also become the permanent chairman of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers as well as vice president of the European Commission, the EU's executive body.

This plentitude of power's sole blemish is that Solana's successor will not be able to call himself 'EU foreign minister,' due to reservations by Britain.

Hopes for Iran talks hit by violence: Obama

Google (Link) - AFP (June 27, 2009)

US President Barack Obama admitted Friday Iran's "outrageous" crackdown on demonstrators would hit his hopes for direct talks, and escalated a heated public row with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Obama, who came to power vowing to engage US enemies, including Iran, sharply rejected Ahmadinejad's demands for an apology for his previous comments on the post-election turmoil, in a further stiffening of US rhetoric.

"There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks," Obama said after talks at the White House with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"I think we're going to have to see how that plays itself out in the days and weeks ahead," said Obama.

Obama said however that the talks compered by the international P5-plus-1 group over Iran's nuclear program would likely continue.

He argued that despite speaking out with a "unified voice" on the violence in Tehran, the world needed to recognize that the prospect of Iran with nuclear weapons was a "big problem."

"My expectation would be... that you're going to continue to see some multilateral discussions with Iran."

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has been authorized by UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- to discuss the issue with Tehran.

Revealing book by Uri Savir gives clues to possible Middle East outcomes

Cumbey Blogspot (Link) - Constance Cumbey (June 27, 2009)

You were wondering how things might come about. A new widely touted book by former Israeli Knesset member Uri Savir might give us some important clues. It is highly praised by most, if not all of those involved in the Middle East Peace Plan process. Those endorsing include Javier Solana, , Dennis Ross and others.

The book, PEACE FIRST: A NEW MODEL TO END WAR proposes making Jerusalem "the international peace capital" of the world and dividing the city three ways: between Jewish interests, between Palestinian neighorhoods and Islamic interests, and the third part to the international community.

"Interreligious dialogue" of the highest syncretistic nature is also strongly recommended. The "peace plan" itself calls for "global" action using networked cities and mayors as both conciliatory and redistributive centers more in touch with their local populations.

Will Solana Retire in October? — What Holly Thinks

Fulfilled Prophecy (Link) - Holly Pivec (June 24, 2009)

Javier Solana’s term as EU foreign policy chief is set to end in October. Most people don’t even know who this powerful man is, let alone care if his term comes to an end.

But for those of us who have been following the theory that the 70th Week of Daniel began on Jan. 1, 2007 – when Solana’s new European Neighbourhood Policy went into force – his looming retirement is of utmost interest. If he, indeed, retires in October, then that could mean we’ve been barking up the wrong tree.

But will he retire?

Many in the media have assumed that he will, throwing around several names as his possible successor. See them here. Not only is Solana’s term set to end in October, but, at age 66, he’s getting up there in years.

Yet, the media thought the same thing back in 2004, when his first term was set to expire. But in July 2004, Solana was appointed for a second five-year term as secretary general of the Council of the EU and EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy. Since then, rumors that he would retire even before his term ended in 2009 never materialized. Read about them here.

Besides the possibility that Solana’s term could be extended again in October, there’s also the possibility that – should the Treaty of Lisbon be ratified – he will be appointed the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He was originally slated for a similar position under the EU Constitution, which failed to be ratified. Now it’s unclear whether he will seek this new office. Solana has not publicly stated one way or another.

So, for now, all we can do is wait and see if Solana quietly fades from the scene in October, or if he somehow manages to stick around — again.

Stay tuned.