EU leaders appeal for Middle East peace

Chirac: 'Time of extreme emotion'

By Robin Oakley, CNN.com European Political Editor

BIARRITZ, France (CNN) -- European Union leaders at the Biarritz summit have sent a "solemn appeal" to the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to stop the escalation of hostilities and to bring an end to violence.

Their statement declared: "All parties must demonstrate political courage and responsibility so that reason and tolerance prevail over fear, hatred and extremism before the point of no return is reached."

After urgent discussions over the lunch, the EU leaders declared that there was "no other way" for Ehud Barak, the Israeli Prime Minister and for Yasser Arafat, the President of the Palestinian Authority, other than that of negotiation and peace along the lines set out at Camp David a few weeks ago.

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They insisted: "The peace process must be saved."

Hubert Vedrine, the French Foreign Minister, told journalists: "There is no doubt about the resolve of all the leaders to do all in their power to give peace a chance. There is no doubt the situation is very dangerous."

Early optimism in Biarritz that there could be an emergency peace summit involving Barak, Arafat, U.S. President Bill Clinton and King Abdullah of Jordan in Egypt as early as Saturday appeared to be fading on Friday afternoon.

There is great frustration among the EU heads of state and government.

They are deeply conscious that they can do little but utter pious public declarations seeking to maximise the pressures on those involved in the escalation of Middle East hostilities and that their words are only half heeded at a time of high emotion.

French President Jacques Chirac, the summit host, told reporters that the EU leaders were desperately concerned about the escalating violence and wanted to do anything they could to help to restore dialogue.

"But this is a time of extreme emotion and violence ... we are in a crisis, a violent crisis. There are passions running high on both sides with human dramas every day."

He pledged that the 15 leaders would do everything they could to see the Middle East parties brought back to the negotiating table.

Chirac had earlier had talks with the former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who was in Biarritz (though not participating in the summit). The leaders were briefed by the European foreign affairs envoy Javier Solana who had been in the Middle East for three days.

Late on Friday night they expected to have further briefing from Robin Cook, the British Foreign Secretary, who was flying on to Biarritz after morning talks with Arafat and an afternoon session with Barak.

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European Union

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