Santer winds down Mideast tour in Beirut

Jacques Santer, president of the European Commission, arrived in Beirut Thursday to discuss regional developments and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership agreement.

His Beirut stop is the last in a six-nation tour of the region in which he met Arab leaders in a bid to reactivate stalled Middle East peace talks and Arab-European relations. His tour included Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria and the Palestinian territories.

"Peace is the only condition for economic development, prosperity and stability. The European Union will continue to push the peace process forward," Santer said upon arrival at Beirut International Airport.

He later met with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and is scheduled to meet Friday with President Elias Hrawi, House Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz before holding a press conference.

He will also inaugurate an international conference to explore fresh energy resources in the Middle East.