EU Will Continue Talking To Arafat

Israel has been urging the EU to follow the lead of the United States and cut off all ties with Arafat, whom it accuses of seeking to undermine the peace process and his Prime Minister Abbas.

Shalom, for his part, reiterated that it saw Arafat as part of the problem and not the solution.

"Arafat is doing his utmost to destabilize Abu Mazen (Abbas) but it must be clear that we will not have any contacts with a government that is under the influence of Arafat," he said.

Solana expressed reservations about the Israeli government’s determination to pursue Hamas activists after a series of air strikes in Gaza which have killed 13 people, including a number of civilians.

"We recognize that Israel has a right to defend itself but it must avoid certain acts which can affect constructive relations between the two parties," he said.