EU to press for Palestinian unity government

Brussels: The European Union will press Egypt to step up its mediation efforts to secure a Palestinian unity government.

Diplomats said a Palestinian unity government would lead the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after an Israeli offensive.

The talks between key European Union, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian officials will also focus on efforts to open more crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid.

The EU also hopes to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza that are used for cross-border attacks on Israeli border towns.

The talks will be led by Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg of the Czech Republic, which holds the EU presidency.