This is the final part of EU assistance to the Palestinian people in 2013 from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), bringing the total amount contributed from this instrument this year to €300 million.

The High Representative Catherine Ashton said: ”I am pleased to announce this assistance package to support Palestinian economic development on the day that the Palestinian Prime Minister Hamdallah is here in Brussels. The ultimate objective of the EU’s financial assistance remains the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security. Today we also discussed the difficult financial situation of the Palestinian Authority and the expectations for the meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) due to take place at the margins of UN General Assembly in New York.”

The High Representative and the Prime Minister also followed up on their discussions held in June during the High Representative’s visit to the Middle East. They talked about the deepening bilateral relations between the European Union and Palestine. The High Representative confirmed the EU’s support for the Palestinian state-building process and stressed the need for a strong and stable Palestinian government committed to reform and the rule of law. In the talks today, Catherine Ashton also expressed full support of the European Union for the ongoing Middle East peace talks.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, said: “We have to look beyond immediate financial help to the Palestinian Authority to provide longer-term sustainable support. We will also continue to support the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem to help ensure their access to services in East Jerusalem.”

The new financial assistance package has the following components:

• Governance: this funding aims to support governance in Palestine by helping municipalities investing in small infrastructure projects and improving management practices for better service delivery and by strengthening the efficiency of the PEGASE Mechanism (an instrument to channel EU and international assistance as a contribution to the building of the Palestinian State). Total value: €13 million.

• Support to the Private Sector: in order to promote sustainable, private sector-led social and economic development. The EU and PA recognise that only a dynamic and growing private sector will be able to create the jobs necessary to face the growing Palestinian population and gradually reduce the public wage bill, while generating the revenues required to fund essential public services. Total value: €11 million.

• Nablus East Water Treatment Plant: By helping to build the new plant, this project will contribute to the protection of water resources in the region and significantly reduce health risks caused by inadequately treated wastewater released in the environment, as well as allowing the re-use of treated wastewater. Total value: €20 million.

• Support to the Delivery of Community Services in East Jerusalem: for a number of years we have provided significant funds to deliver on the EU commitment to maintaining sustainable development, the dignity and welfare of East Jerusalem communities, in order to consolidate the possibility of reaching a future political agreement of the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states.

The actions will focus in particular on improving the living conditions of the Palestinian population living in East Jerusalem, through the protection of rights of vulnerable women and girls and to enhance women’s local employment opportunities.

Specific actions will support the development of the private sector in East Jerusalem, seek to improve living conditions of Palestinian families in the Old City as well as improving quality care and patient safety in East Jerusalem hospitals. These investments complement the €13 million of direct financial support provided to the East Jerusalem hospitals adopted earlier this year and channelled through a new window of the PEGASE mechanism which is now open to all donors. Total value: €8 million.

In particular, Ban shared with Ashton his concern about the continued detentions in the country, where the military earlier this month removed Morsy from the presidency amid widespread protests in which dozens of people were killed and wounded. The Constitution was then suspended and an interim Government set up.

Noting that it was welcome and important that Ashton had seen Morsy, the Secretary-Genera reiterated his call to release the former president and senior Muslim Brotherhood officials, according to a read-out of the conversation issued by Ban’s spokesperson.

They stressed the importance of an inclusive political process which would take into account views and aspirations of all parts of Egypt’s political spectrum, it added.

Egypt has been undergoing a democratic transition following the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak two years ago in the wake of mass protests similar to those seen in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa as part of the “Arab Spring.”

Ban and the High Representative also discussed the Middle East peace process, with the Secretary-General expressing his hope for the success of the current efforts to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together at the negotiating table, and the UN’s readiness to work with the EU and other partners in the diplomatic Quartet to support the process.

“The EU is following the recent developments in Egypt with deep concern. The military must accept and respect the constitutional authority of the civilian power as a basic principle of democratic governance. It is of utmost importance that Egypt returns rapidly to a legitimate government and democratic structures responding to the democratic and socio-economic aspirations of the Egyptian people. The EU stresses in particular the importance of holding democratic elections in the shortest possible time.

The EU calls for a broad-based and substantial dialogue, inclusive of all those political forces committed to democratic principles. It is for the Egyptian people to decide on the way forward, including a path to free and fair elections in which all parties can compete, and work to agree a constitution as a solid foundation for a united, democratic and prosperous Egypt with the checks and balances of a democratic system that respects the rights of all Egyptian citizens as key elements of Egypt’s transition. National reconciliation is paramount in this. A successful outcome will depend on the free participation of all political actors, including the Freedom and Justice Party, which we encourage to do so.

The EU took note of the constitutional declaration and the timetable presented by the interim President, and strongly urges that the rule of law, including accountability, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular of assembly and expression, religion or belief, as well as the right of fair trial are fully respected. All media must be free to function and journalists should not be penalised as a consequence of their professional work.

The EU urges the interim authorities to make every effort so that politically motivated arrests and other forms of harassments do not take place. All political detainees must be released, and criminal cases reviewed swiftly in a transparent manner.

However, Syrian opposition groups were quick to reject the new peace initiative by President Bashar al-Assad. George Sabra, vice president of the opposition National Coalition, told Reuters the peace plan Assad put at the heart of his speech did “not even deserve to be called an initiative.”

The president’s rare address on Sunday in a hall at the opera House in central Damascus, his first since June, said the new initiative could only get under way when Western countries stop funding and arming rebels and said he is ready to hold a dialogue with those “who have not betrayed Syria”.

Assad said his nation is in a “state of war”.

“We do not reject political dialogue … but with whom should we hold a dialogue? With extremists who don’t understand any language but that of terrorism?”

“Or should we have dialogue with puppets brought to the country by the West,” he added.

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s speech was denounced by British Foreign Secretary William Hague as “beyond hypocritical” while Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had simply repeated empty promises in his speech in Damascus on Sunday, and called for a swift transition in the war-torn country.

“His remarks are just repetitions of what he’s said all along. They are the same promises he made to us,” Davutoglu said.

Meanwhile, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Brussels would “look carefully if there is anything new in the speech, but we maintain our position that Assad has to step aside and allow for a political transition” while State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said his initiative is detached from reality, undermines the efforts of Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, and would only allow the regime to further perpetuate its bloody oppression of the Syrian people.

The High Representative is meeting Lebanese leaders today (Oct 23) in Beirut. In Jerusalem on Wednesday Oct 24, she will meet Israeli President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Lieberman and Minister of Defence Barak, before meeting Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad. She will meet Palestinian President Abbas on Thursday Oct 25.

On the eve of her visit, Catherine Ashton said: “This is a critical time for the wider Middle East. The close cooperation between the European Union and our partners in the region is essential to help us deal with the political, strategic and humanitarian challenges we face at this time. The objective of this trip is to take this cooperation forward as effectively as possible.”

Following her visit to the Zaatary refugee camp in Jordan, Ashton said: “I visited the Zaatary refugee camp today to express the EU’s concern for the thousands of people who have had to flee their homes to escape from the horrendous situation in Syria.

I was able to meet courageous men, women and children who are living in difficult conditions and pass on to them a message of support from the European Union. I also passed on our thanks for the superb work being done by the French and Italian field hospitals in the camp, and the tireless work of the international and local humanitarian agencies.

The EU is ready to help with both humanitarian assistance and long term assistance to those affected by the fighting in Syria. It is a priority of mine to see to it that Syrian refugee children can continue with their schooling.

I am also fully aware of the difficult situation in Jordan following the influx of Syrian refugees, and I pay tribute to the vital role the Jordanian government has played in providing support and hospitality to them.”

Catherine Ashton will make the keynote address at the EU conference on ‘Egyptian Women: The Way Forward’. The main objective of the event is to discuss the way forward for Egyptian women in different spheres of public and private life: political, economic, social and legal, and to learn from the ongoing support by the EU to improve future cooperation and engagement.

On the eve of her visit, Catherine Ashton said: “I am very much looking forward to meeting President Morsi. The EU will continue to do all it can to support the peaceful and orderly transition to a civilian and democratic government in Egypt. Egypt is a key player in the Arab world, and a full and reliable partner in international affairs, so steps forward in Egypt are crucial for democracy-building in the Middle East and North Africa. The EU is aware there are many challenges ahead. But will continue to stand by Egypt and its people in their quest for both deep democracy and economic opportunity. Since the very start, women have played a key role in the revolution. They are an inspiration to us all. That is why I am delighted to have organised this conference on ‘Egyptian Women: The Way Forward’.”

The regime is clearly responsible for the brutality of the repression. Instead of freeing detainees and withdrawing its troops and heavy weapons from urban areas, Assad’s regime continues with the shelling of innocent civilians.

Any further militarisation of the conflict will have a serious impact not only on the Syrian people but on the region as a whole. We can already see serious effects in neighbouring countries who shoulder the largest and most difficult burden. We will continue to support them.

I also participated in the Action Group meeting last Saturday in Geneva. We now have a concrete roadmap for a Syrian-led transition and a clear mandate for Kofi Annan to take this forward. He has an extraordinarily difficult task.

In Moscow, the six powers – United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany – are again expected to push Tehran to address their most pressing concern, its enrichment of uranium to 20 percent fissile purity. The failure of talks could be devastating, amid fears that Israel could bomb Iran if no diplomatic solution is found, intensifying regional tensions and pushing oil prices higher Al Jazeera reports.

The six powers, led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, hope at least to win assurances that Tehran is willing to discuss solid solutions, opening the way to further meetings.

Iran has refuted such accusations and insists it nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.

Ahead of the Moscow talks, each side has accused the other of hampering diplomacy.

The Islamic Republic’s chief negotiator, Saeed Jalili, told a Russian television station Iran’s right to enrich uranium ought to be “recognised and respected”.  Iran is also seeking to put an end to tightening economic sanctions impose by EU and US.

At the last talks, in Baghdad last month, the six nations asked Tehran in return to stop producing higher-grade uranium, ship any stockpile out of the country and close down the underground Fordow facility where such work is done.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) failed to persuade Iran, in talks this month, to let it inspect a military site, Parchin, where new satellite imagery of the Parchin base near Tehran showed that “extensive activities” where there had been “virtually” none for years, Reuters reported. This “could hamper the agency’s ability to undertake effective verification” of the site, the IAEA warned.

“We are all appalled by the sickening violence we continue to witness in Syria. Security forces and militias have bombarded cities with no regard for civilians. There have been massacres and point-blank killings. We have seen it last week in a village near Hama, and the week before in Houla, where security forces and militias killed men, women and children. Those responsible for these crimes must ultimately be held to account and we must do everything to stop the bloodshed.

We are at a critical moment. The situation is deteriorating day by day as the regime’s behaviour reinforces the most radical elements on all sides. And yet, most ordinary Syrians long for a transition that avoids bloodshed and keeps the country together – respecting minorities. If the descent into further militarization continues, it will not only spell disaster for the people of Syria, but also the broader region, including Lebanon, where developments are extremely worrying.

As I discussed with Kofi Annan – over recent weeks and again on Friday – we must spare no effort to avoid a catastrophe. Assad has no place in the future of Syria. His regime fails to comply with its own commitments and everyday underlines its lack of legitimacy. The implementation of Annan’s plan is not easy and some have questioned its viability. Yet, despite all the challenges, it remains today the best way forward.

We must act decisively to prevent further bloodshed while avoiding fuelling the flames of sectarian violence.

The only way forward now is to reinforce Kofi Annan’s leverage with the Syrian Regime and make his Mission more effective. No other option has been able to gather any kind of international support. Kofi Annan – to whom I pay tribute for his extraordinary efforts in exceedingly difficult conditions – has the support and legitimacy of the international community (UN) and the Arab League. As SG Ban-Ki Moon told the General Assembly on Thursday: the Annan plan must remain the centre piece of our efforts. But that alone is not enough. We need to do much more to further isolate the regime, build real and operational international consensus, strengthen international sanctions and press the government towards compliance and transition.

As Kofi Annan himself has made very clear, all concerned, and in particular the Members of the UN Security Council and those who have influence on the Regime, Russia and China in particular, must unite and apply more effective pressure to find a solution.

That is why we need to agree on a roadmap that reinforces Annan and his plan. This should involve 3 key priorities: 1) a more effective contact group, including Russia and China, to coordinate support to Annan and exert influence on the Regime. I therefore welcome the idea of a “Contact group” of key actors on the Syrian crisis as announced by Kofi Annan last Thursday in the UNSC. The international community must show unity in this critical moment. 2) united action by the UNSC to add more robust and effective pressure, including the reinforcement of sanctions under Chapter VII; and 3) international consensus around a political process and transition.

With these priorities in mind, I have engaged with Kofi Annan and other leaders to seek a new consensus, including in Istanbul last week, where I attended a special meeting on Syria and at the recent EU-Russia Summit.

Work on the political process cannot wait. It is crucial for the credibility of the international efforts and to show the Syrian people that there is a path leading to a better rather than a more fragmented Syria. But for this to happen, the opposition must finally come together and put its differences aside – new leadership is not enough. A stronger and more united opposition that represents a credible alternative for all Syrians is essential. We discussed on going efforts with Turkey and we are coordinating closely with the Arab League. We continue to meet the different factions and groups in the opposition. Now we are working on two seminars that will feed into the Arab League plans to organize a larger meeting.

In addition to our sanctions, diplomatic efforts, and support to the UNSMIS Mission, which are highly appreciated by the UN, humanitarian assistance remains the top priority for the EU. Innocent civilians and children are paying the consequences of this crisis. I am working closely with Kristalina Georgieva to use all the tools and instruments to deliver our assistance.

The EU has already allocated over EUR 28 million to address the humanitarian needs inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. Now the Syrian Government must implement the agreed comprehensive humanitarian response plan without excuses and delays.

Last week the Commission approved the EUR 23 million special measure – that I had previously announced in this plenary – to support civil society within Syria and neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees.

During my visit to Istanbul last week, my Crisis Coordinator engaged with the Turkish authorities and visited the Camps at the border. I offered any further help Turkey may need. Turkey is doing a truly great job in dealing with Syrian refugees and they can count on our support.

We will continue to call for accountability and support UN efforts in this regard. This is something we owe to the victims. The UN is investigating the latest massacres and the Human Rights Council – with our full support – is setting up a Committee of Investigation.

While some Member states have decided to withdraw and expel Ambassadors, our Delegation in Damascus will remain open for as long as possible. This has been the request of many of you and, most importantly, of Syrians themselves. They are our ears, eyes and hands to help are needed there.

On the MEPP our objective remains the same. I have been very clear from the beginning of the Arab Awakening that developments in the region make the peace process and a negotiated solution even more urgent and important, not less. While we are all paying a lot of attention to the situation in Syria, Egypt and elsewhere, ending the conflict remains a top priority and a fundamental EU interest.