G8 leaders say Mideast violence a serious danger

World powers attending a Group of Eight summit in Genoa have said escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians was presenting…

World powers attending a Group of Eight summit in Genoa have said escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians was presenting a serious danger and again urged both sides to implement the Mitchell plan.

In a nine-line statement, the G8 leaders endorsed a previous statement issued by their foreign ministers in Rome on Thursday, which called on both parties to accept outside observers.

The situation in the Middle East presents a grave danger, the leaders said in a special document issued separately from remarks they were to make later on world trouble spots. Too many lives have already been lost. We cannot stand by while the situation deteriorates. They said third-party monitoring would serve the interests of both parties in implementing the Mitchell report, drawn up by a committee led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell. This called for a truce and cooling-off period, followed by confidence building moves and a resumption of peace talks.

The cooling-off period must begin as soon as possible, the G8 leaders said.