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EU Seeks Mideast Talks with U.S., Russia August 30, 2001 European Union officials want to organize talks with the United States and Russia on the spiraling violence in the Middle East. "We are considering the possibility of setting up rapidly a meeting of the EU, the United States and Russia," Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said Tuesday. Belgium holds the rotating EU presidency. Michel said the EU had to work very closely with the United States in its efforts to play a bigger diplomatic role in the Middle East. "Without close cooperation with Washington, there can be no chance of success," Michel said in an address to the foreign affairs and security committee of the European Parliament. He said the EU's peacemaking role was hampered by Israel's perception of the EU as too pro-Palestinian. Several members of the EU parliament said that Israel must take the first steps toward halting the violence by stopping the construction of settlements in the disputed territories. But others stressed the need to stop the Palestinian terrorist attacks, including suicide bombers, and said the EU should focus on pressuring the Palestinians, who rely heavily on European aid money. Michel reiterated his support for the Mitchell Report, which recommends a cease-fire and a cooling-off period before the resumption of peace talks.
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