EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY: ACTION
PLANS FOR EGYPT AND LEBANON
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister
for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
In his letter to you of 20 December 2005[63],
Douglas Alexander undertook to keep the Committees up to date
on the developments of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
Action Plans and to submit a further Explanatory Memorandum once
the negotiations of the "second-wave" Action Plans had
been completed. I am writing to inform you that negotiations for
the Lebanon Action Plan were completed in early July, prior to
the publication of the final draft on 7 July and that the Plan
is due to be adopted by the Council on 16 October. I now submit
an Explanatory Memorandum on the Action Plan for consideration
by your Committee.
I should explain that we had intended to submit
this Explanatory Memorandum before the summer recess. But the
conflict in Lebanon that began on 12 July raised the possibility
of significant change to the Action Plan.
Now that the hostilities have ended it is clear
that the text remains fundamentally sound, and it is unlikely
to change significantly before adoption. The Government remains
convinced that the Action Plan with Lebanon will contribute to
the much needed peace and security in that country. It will also
provide opportunities for closer co-operation in key areas of
common interest, including political and economic reform, combating
terrorism, border security and improving the conditions of the
Palestinian refugees. The Government hopes that the Action Plan
will reinvigorate Lebanon's reform programme aimed at further
integration into European economic and social structures and work
in the interests of stability in the Middle East.
28 September 2006
63 Refers to letter addressed to J Hood, MP, European
Scrutiny Committee, House of Commons. Back
|
