EU struggles for balance on Middle East

Brussels - European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday struggled to balance their desire to push for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and their wish not to jeopardize peace talks as they met for discussions in Brussels. Draft EU proposals calling for East Jerusalem to be recognized as the capital of a future Palestinian state have provoked Israeli outrage, leading ministers to look for a less controversial stance.

"Assessing the reaction of the Israeli government, I think would be sensible not to do that at this stage, (but) consolidate efforts towards bringing the two sides to negotiating ... as soon as possible," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas said.

Diplomats close to the talks said that ministers were trying to find a way of pushing the two sides back to talks without making any declarations which could jeopardize a future peace settlement.

The EU is keen to bring its influence to bear on the Israelis and Palestinians to help bring an end to the 60-year-old conflict.

But the bloc has grown increasingly frustrated in recent months with the deadlock in peace talks.

The EU "is seriously concerned about the lack of progress in the Middle East peace process. The EU calls for the urgent resumption of negotiations that will lead ... to a two-state solution," a draft statement prepared for Tuesday's meeting said.

That has led member states to call for a tougher line.

In November, Sweden, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, drafted a document calling for the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

"We want two states, and the capital of those two states is Jerusalem," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb stressed.

The draft provoked outrage in Israel, where it was seen as an attempt to partition the city. But that reaction in turn angered EU ministers, who saw the Israeli response as disproportionate.

"I really find it hard to understand why Israel does not accept that Palestine consists of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem ... This two-state solution is really the core of (Israel's) security," Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said.

A revised draft prepared for Tuesday's meeting called for "a way to be found to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the capital of two states" and warned that the EU "will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by the parties."