press release
Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom and
Germany on the situation in Middle East
date of issue 09.08.2014
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2014/140809_FR_GB_DE_Nahost.html

Joint statement by Laurent Fabius, Foreign Minister of France, Philip
Hammond, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom and Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, Foreign Minister of Germany:


We are very concerned by the resumption of hostilities in the Gaza strip.

We call upon all parties immediately to return to a cease-fire. We fully
support the ongoing efforts by Egypt to this end.

All parties should take immediate practical steps to address the urgent
humanitarian needs including to facilitate full humanitarian access.

We are ready to support the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire and
have already made proposals to this end. We will work further with all our
partners on this issue.

To be sustainable, a ceasefire must envisage steps to address both Israeli
security concerns and Palestinian requirements regarding the lifting of
restrictions on Gaza.

The final objective must be to see a return to talks on a negotiated
two-state solution, which remains the only way to resolve the conflict and
end the human