The Palestinian presidential elections were a truly historic event. If used wisely, this gives us a great opportunity to revive the long-stalled peace process. The Palestinian people have chosen a new president. They did so with dignity, in a process which was free, fair and democratic, and which enjoyed a high level of participation under the difficult circumstances of an ongoing occupation. By visiting several polling operations, I have personally witnessed the democratic process in action. I was especially struck by the enthusiasm of the Palestinian electorate to help shape their nation's future. Subsequent meetings with Palestinian business people, students and others have reconfirmed to me how vibrant Palestinian society remains, despite the difficulties of daily life in the Occupied Territories. The result of the elections was a victory, both for the President-elect Mahmoud Abbas - a wise leader who has won a strong mandate for his agenda - and the entire Palestinian people. The challenge now is to restore the peace process, leading to the creation of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

It is critical that Palestinians feel that the occupation can and will end, and that they are on the path to full statehood. Thus, the Palestinian Authority should evolve from a pre-state to a real state, with its own territory, borders, population and democratic political institutions. This will require deep engagement on the part of the Palestinian leadership and tough decisions to improve the Palestinian Authority's ability to govern effectively. But there are also many ways in which Israel can facilitate this process and give new hope to the Palestinians. The European Union has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian people. We remain ready to help them fulfil their national aspirations for a viable, secure and democratic Palestine, living in peace with Israel. This EU support is not just rhetoric: The bloc remains by far the largest donor to the Palestinians, giving both emergency support and medium-term assistance to institution building projects. In recent months and years, the Palestinians have already made significant progress in developing more accountable and efficient institutions. The coming elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council will be another important step forward. One key task for Abbas in the coming months will be the consolidation of the various security organizations under a clear political chain of control. Such a reorganization and streamlining of the security services will require significant international assistance.

Through training and financial support, we are helping Palestinian police forces to increase their operational capacity and transform their organizational set up. A core unit of EU advisers is already deployed. And provided that benchmarks for performance and accountability are met, the EU is ready to expand its commitments.

The EU and the rest of the international community have often stressed that the current political dynamic - a new Palestinian leadership, but also a new Israeli government - represents a rare chance to move forward on the peace process. It is clear that efforts to rejuvenate and reform Palestinian institutions, vital as they are, must be accompanied by a new commitment to move rapidly toward a viable, comprehensive settlement.

Political reforms are crucial but cannot be a substitute, nor precondition, for the resumptions of political negotiations. Both the reform track and political negotiations depend on each other for success and must therefore proceed in parallel. Abbas will need all the help he can get to succeed in the difficult task of filling the vacuum created by the passing away of President Yasser Arafat. When I met him on Monday I told Abbas that he can count on the EU's support for his agenda. There are a number of practical ways in which both parties can rebuild confidence and signal they are ready to resume the road to peace. The Palestinians must act resolutely in the security area, as Abbas called for in his election campaign. This means, first, ending all violent attacks against Israeli civilians, and second, agreeing to a long-term cease-fire of all militant groups. Israel for its part should take measures that help the emergence of a viable Palestinian state. As a first step, Israel should act on illegal settlements and implement a partial withdrawal of troops together with a radical easing of road closures, reducing the hardship and humiliation suffered by ordinary Palestinians. Acting together, both sides must co-operate on the implementation of Israel's Gaza disengagement plan. This would then pave the way for a resumption of negotiations between the parties on the implementation of all their respective commitments as laid out in the "road map." Neither side can expect or demand that the other side moves first; both have to act in parallel.

We know from experience that the search for peace in the Middle East is hard, and that the absence of peace hurts Palestinians and Israelis and also all of us, inside the region and beyond. That is why the EU, directly and through our role in the "Quartet" (EU, U.S., Russia and the Unite Nations), will do all it can to use this political opening to maximum effect. Windows of opportunity are rare enough in international politics and especially in the troubled Middle East - we cannot afford to simply let it close.

Javier Solana is European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. This article is published in THE DAILY STAR in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Commission in Lebanon