Europe urges Sharon to work for peace

LONDON, England -- France and Britain were among the first countries to react to the landslide victory by Ariel Sharon in Israel's prime minsterial election.

France said it was not abandoning hope of peace in the Middle East but its Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine expressed sadness at what he called missed opportunities under Israel's defeated Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Britain also urged Sharon to seek a lasting peace with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

IN-DEPTH Israel Election 2001   •  Overview   •  Key players   •  Political parties   •  Israel at-a-glance   •  Israel timeline   •  Portrait gallery   •  Maps   •  Video archive   •  News search   •  Related sites    VIDEO Ariel Sharon's victory speech (February 6) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Ehud Barak's concession speech (February 6) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Political analyst Chemi Shalev on what may happen to the peace process 393K/35 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

U.S. President George W. Bush called Ariel Sharon on Tuesday and congratulated him on his election victory shortly after incumbent Ehud Barak conceded defeat.

Vedrine said: "Tonight, one can only have a feeling of sadness when one thinks of the missed opportunities of the past months."

"Proposals were made, there were breakthroughs and I hope something will remain of all of that," he added.

"We have to look at the new situation, at what we will do, but we cannot just give up (on peace efforts)."

In September Vedrine was scathing of Sharon's controversial visit to a Jerusalem sanctuary holy to both Muslims and Jews, which many say sparked the current violence in the region.

"We will judge Mr Sharon's policy according to deeds, so one has to wait for him to form a cabinet, to see what its action will be, to see what its parliamentary support will be, to see what policies it carries out," Vedrine said.

He added: "Even the Arab states have not closed the door (to Sharon). One should never give up because we have to continue trying to attain peace."

"The outline of the permanent agreement is clear," said a UK Foreign Office spokesman.

"It is for Prime Minister Sharon and President Arafat to decide if now is the time to conclude that agreement. If not they must agree how they are going to live with one another until the time is right for an agreement."

Bush told Sharon he looked forward to working with him on peace issues, the White House said.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "The president told Prime Minister-elect Sharon he looked forward to working with him, especially with regard to advancing peace and stability in the region."

"He also extended best wishes to losing Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who had worked closely with former President Clinton."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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French Foreign Ministry
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office

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