Revising Middle East Policy

The call from EU foreign ministers largely representing the EU's Mediterranean states was contained in an open letter to Tony Blair, appointed the international community's new big-power Middle East envoy after stepping down last month as British Prime Minister.

Broadly, the group proposed a "redefinition of objectives," starting with an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It also urged Israel to make more concessions to peace, in support of the Palestinian President.

"(We want) to obtain from Israel concrete and immediate measures in favor of Mahmoud Abbas," the ministers said.

These included "the transfer of all taxes due, the release of the thousands of prisoners who do not have blood on their hands, the release as well of the main Palestinian leaders to ensure succession within Fatah, a freeze in new settlements and the evacuation of unauthorized settlements."

The group also proposed a resumption of talks with Hamas.

"Strange"

The German Foreign Office described as strange both the contents of the letter and procedure behind the call, as well who the letter had been addressed to.

The letter went "very clearly" beyond the "very specific and very purpose" of Blair's mandate, German Foreign Office spokesman Jens Plötner said.

Indeed, the release of the letter coincided with press reports that Blair was seeking to widen his mandate as envoy for the Middle East quartet, which includes Russia, the EU, the US and the United Nations.

Road map obsolete?

But the letter also contained elements which Middle East quartet would question, Plötner said.

This included references for instance to claim that the so-called road map -- the peace plan for the Middle East -- was obsolete.

"The road map has failed," read the letter, which was published in French daily Le Monde. "The status quo that has prevailed since 2000 is leading to nothing."

"The quartet is a kind guardian of the road map," Plötner said, stressing that both Israel and leading Palestinian figures had given their support to the plan.

The letter which was signed by the foreign ministers of France, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Greece and Malta, emerged from an informal meeting in Slovenia, and is believed to have been initiated by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

The German Foreign Office spokesman said Berlin believed strongly that European Middle East policy should be overseen by the EU council responsible for foreign affairs.