Dear Professor Suleiman,

Thank you for your letter of 22 March to the Foreign Secretary in support of his recent visit to Har Homa. I have been asked to reply. He is grateful for your supportive comments.

The objective of the visit to Har Homa was to underline the extent to which the expansion of settlements is undermining the Peace Process (there has been no progress in the Peace Process since the announcement that Har Homa was to go ahead). The Secretary of State wanted to make clear the concern of the international community, and especially the EU, at the expansion of settlements. By going to Har Homa, the Foreign Secretary also emphasised our strong support for the American call for time-out on settlement expansion. The visit, therefore, was in no way a distraction from the main issues of the Peace Process. On the contrary, it was a reminder that the main issue is land and the need to respect commitments under the Oslo Process.