EU, UN Disagree on Calls for 'Humanitarian Ceasefire'

On the 23rd (local time), the European Union (EU) revealed differing stances regarding the 'humanitarian ceasefire' urged by the United Nations.

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

The foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries struggled to unify their positions on the so-called 'humanitarian (military) pause' during a meeting held in Luxembourg, according to major foreign media including AFP.

A source told AFP, "It is difficult to say that a clear agreement was reached (at the meeting)."

The failure to coordinate positions among EU foreign ministers was largely influenced by the differing interests surrounding the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

According to Germany's dpa news agency, countries like Spain and the Netherlands support a humanitarian ceasefire, while Germany and Austria place relatively more emphasis on Israel's right to self-defense.

This was also sensed in the remarks made before and after the meeting by Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who chaired the meeting. Before the meeting started, Borrell told reporters, stating it was his personal opinion, "I think a humanitarian pause is necessary."

However, after the meeting, in response to a question about whether a 'humanitarian pause' and a ceasefire have the same meaning, he drew a distinction by saying, "A pause is a less ambitious goal than a ceasefire."

Referring to the EU summit scheduled for the 26th to 27th, he gave a roundabout answer, saying, "I believe the heads of member states will support the proposal for a humanitarian pause to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid."

Meanwhile, during the meeting, internal disagreements within the EU also surfaced regarding security support for Ukraine. Borrell proposed securing a long-term military aid budget of 5 billion euros (approximately 7.18 trillion won) for Ukraine from 2024 to 2027.

However, the 27 foreign ministers failed to reach a final conclusion on the matter, and the issue was also deferred to the EU summit.