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Israeli President on fence-mending mission to Europe
Jerusalem, Dec 08: Israeli President Moshe Katsav, who arrived in Germany today on the first leg of a four-day tour which will also take him to Italy and The Vatican, will attempt to soothe strained relations with the European Union.
Jerusalem, Dec 08: Israeli President Moshe Katsav, who arrived in Germany today on the first leg of a four-day tour which will also take him to Italy and The Vatican, will attempt to soothe strained relations with the European Union.
Relations between Israel and its chief trade partner have been marred lately by frequent EU criticism of military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Israeli accusations that Brussels was supporting the Palestinians. "Israel has not taken the Europeans' point of view into enough consideration," Katsav told Israeli public radio today before leaving Tel Aviv.
The European Union generally seeks tougher conditions on Israel than its fellow "quartet" member the United States in efforts to bring the warring parties back to the negotiating table, demanding a halt to Jewish settlement activity and not ruling out Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a partner. For its part, Israel accuses the EU of being less condemnatory of Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip than in Israel itself.
Also on Katsav's agenda was Germany's involvement in secret negotiations for an exchange of prisoners between Israel and the powerful fundamentalist group, which controls the Lebanese side of Israel's volatile northern border.
Relations between Israel and its chief trade partner have been marred lately by frequent EU criticism of military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Israeli accusations that Brussels was supporting the Palestinians. "Israel has not taken the Europeans' point of view into enough consideration," Katsav told Israeli public radio today before leaving Tel Aviv.
The European Union generally seeks tougher conditions on Israel than its fellow "quartet" member the United States in efforts to bring the warring parties back to the negotiating table, demanding a halt to Jewish settlement activity and not ruling out Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a partner. For its part, Israel accuses the EU of being less condemnatory of Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip than in Israel itself.
Also on Katsav's agenda was Germany's involvement in secret negotiations for an exchange of prisoners between Israel and the powerful fundamentalist group, which controls the Lebanese side of Israel's volatile northern border.
Bureau Report