EU urges Israel, Palestine to continue promising talks

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EU urges Israel, Palestine to continue promising talks

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EU urged Israel and the Palestinians to press ahead with peace efforts.

04 January,2012 06:07 am

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Israel and the Palestinians to press ahead with peace efforts on the heels of their promising talks in Jordan on Tuesday.Thanking the Jordanian authorities for facilitating the ground-breaking face-to-face, Ashton said: I encourage Israel and the Palestinians to build on this promising first meeting and continue to work toward a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.The EU remains fully committed to do all it can to contribute to the resolution of the conflict, she added in a statement.The meeting of Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Jordan was their first face-to-face encounter in more than 15 months.Ashton expressed her deep appreciation to Jordan for facilitating the meeting with Tony Blair, representing the so-called Middle East Quartet -- the EU, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- which has been working to draw the two sides back to the negotiating table.