THE MIDDLE EAST
The situation in the Middle East has been a key item on the G8 agenda for several years. The
continuing impasse in the peace process and the alarming escalation of violence in recent
months have given this issue particular importance and urgency.
At Whistler, G8 Foreign Ministers are expected to discuss the situation and the diplomatic
efforts already being pursued by the international community, including the United States, the
European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
What the G8 has done
In 2001, at the conclusion of their Rome meeting, the G8 Foreign Ministers reaffirmed the May
2001 report of a fact finding committee led by U.S. Senator George Mitchell as “the only way
forward to break the deadlock, to stop the escalation of violence and to resume a political
process.” They urged the parties to implement the Mitchell Report in its entirety and called for a
cooling-off period to begin as soon as possible.
In their statement, the foreign ministers also made the following points:
all extremism and terrorism must be opposed; they cannot be allowed to dictate the
security environment; all the commitments given to securing a cessation of violence must be scrupulously
observed; each party must refrain from provocation and incitement; no action should be taken by either party that undermines the other.
The G8 Foreign Ministers also stated their belief that, in the circumstances, third-party
monitoring, accepted by both parties, would serve their interests in implementing the Mitchell
Report.
At the conclusion of the subsequent Genoa Summit, G8 leaders echoed the message of their
foreign ministers.
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