Ramallah: EU Foreign Policy Chief Cathrine Ashton was scheduled to start a visit to the Middle East on Wednesday where she was expected to hold meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials in an attempt to revive the stalled peace process.
Ahead of her arrival to the region, Ashton said in a statement that "urgent process is now needed towards lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace and the EU will continue to support all efforts towards that goal."
"There is no alternative to a negotiated deal. We want to see the state of Israel and a sovereign and viable state of Palestine living side by side in peace and security," she said.
On Tuesday, Ashton was scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu and the Quartet Envoy Tony Blair in occupied Jerusalem, while on Wednesday she is expected to meet the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
On Wednesday, Netenyahu is scheduled to travel to Sharm Al Shaikh to meet the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
White House Senior Advisor Dennis Ross is also expected to arrive to the region to hold meetings with the officials in the region to revive the peace process.
Abbas told the Palestinian government daily Al Ayam that the Palestinian people and the Israelis are ready for peace and the entire region is patiently waiting for peace.
"Nobody can know what would happen should peace is not reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians," he said.
A senior Fatah official told Gulf News that his movement is optimistic about the ongoing political movement in the region.
"Hope can be seen at the end of the tunnel, where the current stalemate in the negotiations and the peace process will shortly be broken,” he said.
"The talks on the resumption of the negotiations and discussing the possible guarantees give hope for both, the Palestinians and the Israelis that a peace deal can still be achieved in the region," he said.
The Fatah official stressed that there will be a change in the current position and conditions.
"The current status quo cannot remain for long. There have been solid promises that the international community will start more efforts after the Christmas and New Year vacation to revive the peace process, and it is happening nowadays," he said.
"The diplomatic campaign of the Palestinians with the help of the Arabs has also made a difference with more countries recognising the Palestinian state," he said.
