EU to press for progress on Mideast plan

The European Union is set to increase pressure on both Israel and the Palestinians today on implementation of the Middle East…

The European Union is set to increase pressure on both Israel and the Palestinians today on implementation of the Middle East "road map" for peace.

The Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers were due to hold separate meetings with their EU counterparts in Brussels, the first such session since late 2001.

The talks involving Israel's Mr Silvan Shalom and Palestinian Mr Nabil Shaath signalled easing tensions over the 33-month-old uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Europe had donea lot to revive international diplomatic efforts and help the Palestinians prepare for a new attempt to find a settlement but that the EU also needed better ties with Israel.

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Although the EU is part of the "Quartet" sponsoring the road map along with the United States, Russia and the United Nations, diplomats say it risks being marginalised by Washington's post-Iraq war commitment to resolving the crisis.

The biggest aid donor to the Palestinian Authority, the EUis viewed with suspicion by Israel and often accused of having a pro-Palestinian bias. It has so far been left aside from US moves to monitor compliance with the road map.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met Israeli PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon on Sunday, setting the stage for separate talks the two leaders are due to hold with US President George W. Bush in Washington later this month.