In spite of the well-known Israeli resistance to the idea, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana will use an informal gathering of EU's foreign ministers in Lappeenranta, Finland on 1-2 September, to push for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 war borders.
In the so-called six day war, Israel captured East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.
Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said to Reuters: "Solana's objective is to build consensus for negotiations on the basis of the '67 borders, plus or minus." Gallach acknowledged that this would take time.
The EU has never been able to match US influence in the Middle East, but has now been emboldened by the fact that EU-nations will deliver the bulk of troops in the Lebanon UN peacekeeping force (see EurActiv 28 August 2006).
"The more we are physically involved with soldiers on the ground, the more we are going to get influence to match our military, humanitarian and economic commitment," Gallach said.
Italy will send 800 troops, and will thus be the main European troop contributor alongside France. The prominent Italian role has been hailed as a success for PM Romano Prodi, who is putting Italy back on the map as an international player, and also distancing himself from the embarrasements caused by the gaffe-prone former PM Silvio Berlusconi.
