Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, is in Paris today to attend the ministerial meeting concerning the Middle East Peace Initiative, at the invitation of his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault.
French President François Hollande will open the meeting, which is bringing together the key nations and international organisations concerned, including the Quartet on the Middle East, comprised of the US, the EU, Russia and the UN; permanent members of the Security Council and certain Arab and European partners.
The meeting falls in line with current international efforts, primarily on the part of the Quartet, to move towards settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It takes place without the presence of the two parties and aims to reaffirm the validity of the two-state solution as the only possible means of ending the conflict. Its aim is to put forward clear objectives and a concrete approach so that the settlement process can be restarted and concluded.
The meeting will be followed by the end of an internationl conference to which the parties will this time be invited and will bring together all partners concerned to contribute to the revival of the peace process.
Photo by MAEE (L-R): Jean Asselborn; Jean-Marc Ayrault)
