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EU welcomes Israel-Palestine direct talks

02 September 2010 20:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek on Thursday both welcomed the resumption of direct talks between Israel and Palestine for the first time in 20 months, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

The EU expressed its intention to give its full support throughout the whole negotiation process, which could allow the establishment of a peaceful cohabitation between the two states.

EU authorities also condemned the deadly terrorist attack that killed four Israeli settlers on August 31 in the West Bank city of Hebron, and encouraged relevant parties to persevere through difficult times.

To this purpose, direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians will resume in Washington DC Thursday. "The outcome will be crucial not just for the parties, but for the whole region and beyond," said Ashton, high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

Negotiations could probably be difficult as the countries disagree on the extend of the moratorium on settlement construction, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abbas both expressed their will to reach a peace agreement that would put an end to years of deadly conflict in the Middle East.