THE EUROPEAN UNION INTENDS CONTINUING EFFORTS TO SETTLE THE ONGOING CRISIS IN THE GAZA STRIP AND PALESTINIAN AREAS, AND WAS LOOKING TO LAUNCH NEW TALKS BETWEEN THE ISRAELIS AND THE PALESTINIANS, EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA SAID SUNDAY, ACCORDING TO DPA. THE UNION WOULD ALSO WORK TOWARD SECURING THE RELEASE OF AN ISRAELI SOLDIER HELD CAPTIVE IN THE GAZA STRIP FOR THE PAST SEVEN WEEKS, HE TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE IN RAMALLAH FOLLOWING A MEETING WITH PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS. SOLANA STRESSED THAT THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE STOOD AT THE CORE OF THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND THE EU WOULD NOT LET IT BE OVERSHADOWED BY OTHER UNREST. IN ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT, HE SAID THE EU HAS BEEN WORKING ON FINDING A NEW MECHANISM TO RUN THE RAFAH CROSSING ON GAZA-EGYPT BORDER, AND URGED ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER AMIR PERETZ TO "REOPEN THE CROSSING AND SOLVE THAT PROBLEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."
