The European Union on Monday welcomed Israel's decision to allow Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem to vote in the forthcoming January 25 Palestinian legislative elections and said it was pressing ahead with assistance for the organisation of the polls, according to Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa). "The Palestinian elections are an important milestone on the road to democracy and should go ahead on schedule," E.U. external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said before a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Ferrero-Waldner, who is set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's acting Premier Ehud Olmert on Monday and Tuesday, said leaders in the region must not be distracted from the goal of seeking peace. "I hope elections due on both sides...help create new impetus in the peace process," she said. Earlier, E.U. foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana said the bloc expected Israel to facilitate electoral operations, including the movement of candidates and officals as well as of local and international observers. --More 20 35 Local Time 17 35 GMT
