Mideast peace prospects 'slim'05/07/2006 17:35 - (SA)
Strasbourg - The European Union said on Wednesday that prospects for the peace process in the Middle East looked slim in light of the escalating violence, but pledged to continue with its efforts to find a solution to the conflict.
The EU urged Palestinian militants to immediately release a captured Israeli soldier and called on Israel to end its military operation that had disrupted electricity supplies in much of Gaza and threatened the lives of civilians.
In the prevailing circumstances the prospect for the peace process are slim but the idea of a two-state approach must be kept alive. Arms are not the answer, Finnish foreign trade and development minister Paula Lehtomaki, whose country has taken over the six-month EU presidency, told the EU Parliament.
EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the abduction and Israeli military incursions into Gaza that followed it signalled a worrying escalation of the conflict.
Both sides need to step back from the brink before this becomes a crisis that neither one can control, she said, adding that the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza punishes the Palestinians collectively and puts civilian lives at risk.
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