The European Union (EU) chief officials in Brussels Monday voiced support for the Geneva Initiative for peace in the Middle East and urged early relaunch of peace talks between Israel and Palestine. 

In a symbolic diplomatic gesture, European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten met Monday with chief leaders for the Geneva Initiative.

They are Yasser Rabbo, former information minister of the Palestinian Authority, Yossi Beilin, former justice minister of Israel.

"The EU remains firmly committed to the solutions laid out in the Quartet' Road Map. The efforts of all those involved in the 'Geneva Initiative' are an important complement to the formal negotiation," said Solana after meeting with the two leaders.

In a written statement, Solana commended the initiative as bringing "new impetus to the Middle East Peace Process."

He said the initiative has led to an "intense, healthy and timely" debate on both sides about issues related to the Palestine-Israeli conflict, adding that it "helped to press forward possible answers for achieving peace in the region."

At a press conference after meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian guests, Patten said he hoped that the Middle East peace process would not be "frozen" and the current stalemate in the region "means continuing deterioration, death and misery."

"This is the time to make progress," said Patten, urging Israel to "listen to the international community and the EU" and take into account the Geneva Initiative in talks with Palestine.

Both Rabbo and Beilin said the Geneva Initiative has gained increasing support from Israelis and Palestinians, noting that the initiative "represents a chance and an only possible solution" to peace in the Middle East.

The Geneva Initiative is the result of a civil society initiative by Israeli and Palestinian people sponsored by Switzerland for the past two year. The final plan of the initiative was unveiled and signed in Geneva on Dec. 1, 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2004)