idf
Introduction
Middle East
IDF started its activities by organising an international conference
Models of Cohabitation in 1989 in the Peace Palace in The Hague. It was
one of the first public meeting in which both representatives of the PLO
and Israeli politicians participated, such as Abba Eban and Hanan Ashrawi.
This conference was followed by the project Dynamics of Selfdetermination
in which Palestinian, Israelian and European universities and research
institues co-operated; and the project Someday, an exhibition of drawings
in which Palestinian and Israeli children expressed their feelings on
their situation and their expectations of the future.
A role for Europe in the Middle East
On 14 June International Dialogues Foundation organised in co-operation
with a number of Dutch NGO's (ICCO, Cordaid, NOVIB, Pax Christi) a public
discussion meeting in Felix Meritis in Amsterdam on A role for Europe
in the Middle East. The meeting was the provisional outcome of a number
of consultations with Dutch Middle East experts to consider the possibility
of organising an international conference on this subject. These were
organised in co-operartion with The Clingendael Institute. (see Expert
Papers) Since in the meantime the situation had deteriorated considerably
it was decided to organise as a first step this public discussion meeting
in Amsterdam.
Main speakers at this meeting were; Haider Abdel Shafi, Menachim Klein,
Khalil Shikaki and Christian Berger (see Summaries main speakers). There
were workshops on 'A viable Palestinian State: Economic Development and
Good Governance' and on 'The Refugees Question' (see Workshops). The organisers
presented papers on 'A Role for Europe in the Middle-East in a Changing
International Context' by International Dialogues Foundation and A Role
for Europe in the Middle East and the Civil Organisations of the Dutch
NGO's (see Papers Organisers).
How these consultations will be continued depends on the outcome of the
political developments in the Middle East. At present the prospect are
obscure. As International Dialogues Foundation had come to the conclusion
that the impasse of the negotiations cannot be understood in isolation
of the international developments since 11 September and the role that
was chosen by the US government to support one-sidedly Israel. IDF will
focus its attention on the involvement of the Arab countries in the discussions.
(see IDF paper 'A role for Europe in the Middle East in a changing international
context')
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