EU not pleased with Israeli settlement policy

The foreign minister of Austria, whose country currently presides over the rotating presidency of the European Union, has asserted that Europe is not pleased with the suspension of negotiations in the Middle East and the settlement policy pursued by Israel.

In a statement he made to the London-based al-Hayat daily published on Saturday, the Austrian FM added that the EU had appealed to the Israeli government to "stop changing the character of occupied Jerusalem."

"Any such changes constitute a grave danger to peace in the region," he continued.

The Austrian FM stated that the EU member states support the Palestinian objectives more than any other side in the world.

He went on to say: "We were the first who spoke against the Jabal Abu Ghneim settlement in Jerusalem and the first who explained the consequences of settlements against the holy city."

Concerning the UN sanctions against Iraq, the Austrian foreign minister added, "We will be very pleased when chances are provided to lift the sanctions imposed on the people of Iraq." He called upon Iraq to fully commit itself to international obligations.

Meanwhile, in the same paper Al-Hayat daily issued on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine has asserted his country's readiness to play a role in order to resume peace talks on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks noting that France has good relations with both Syria and Lebanon.Vedrine expressed hope that the American efforts will result in achieving optimum results so as to achieve peace in the region. He explained that if the US efforts would not yield results, France will work to revive this issue through the French-Egyptian initiative. The said initiative is not a rival to the American initiative. He continued he is not optimistic over any of the present tracks of the Middle East peace process.