Recognition of Palestine state would be used as leverage to initiate peace negotiations: EU Council president

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - EU Council President Charles Michel revealed Friday that Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia expressed that they are prepared to recognize the state of Palestine once appropriate conditions are met and he said it would be used as leverage to initiate peace negotiations.

Michel made the remarks to reporters at the end of a EU summit held in Brussel and underscored the importance of initiating a process toward recognizing Palestine.

He emphasized the need for mutual steps from both sides to achieve the goal.

Michel highlighted that while the debate on recognizing Palestine was not fully on the table during recent discussions, it remains a crucial decision for each EU member state to consider.

He acknowledged that some members have recognized Palestine as a sovereign state and emphasized the significance of beginning a structured process toward recognition.

He stressed the importance of acknowledging steps taken by authorities, particularly in Israel, as part of the process.

"This is not the topic we discussed yesterday evening, but we discussed in depth the two-state solution and the purpose is to have two peoples living side by side in security, which is mutual recognition this is the purpose and it's why we coordinate with all our member states," he said.

"There's a process so that it can be seen as leverage to make steps and to support the efforts for the resumption of the peace talks," he added.

Michel also addressed the question of if Europe is "ready for a possible war."

He said Russia's war in Ukraine justified taking steps to strengthen Europe's defense preparedness.

Expressing a desire not to spread concern about war throughout European society, he said: "On the other hand, (defense preparedness) should be accepted by our citizens throughout the EU and we should explain this to our public."

"If we want peace, security, and stability, it is extremely important to strengthen our defense capacity and capabilities and build a EU in the defense field,” he said.