EU foreign policy chief Jaiver Solana will travel to the Middle East later Monday to try and persuade Israelis and Palestinians to halt an unrelenting cycle of violence, a European official said.
Solana will leave Brussels after a meeting of EU foreign ministers also attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian international cooperation minister Nabil Shaath.
Plans call for Solana to see both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the official said.
In talks earlier Monday with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Peres renewed his government's call for Arafat to crack down on extremists who claimed responsibility for a wave of recent deadly attacks on Israelis.
"There must be central control of all armed forces," Peres said. "It's a question of leadership." – Brussels (AFP)
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