"The situation is the result of a lack of a political process.
When the weapons speak, peace goes away," Marc Otte told reporters after a meeting with Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei in Abu Dis, on the outskirts of east Jerusalem.
"We are here to encourage both sides to talk and not to fight.
If we are asked to do specific things to promote such an outcome, we will do it," he added.
Seven Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids since a decision by the Israeli security cabinet Tuesday to carry out tough military operations in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a double suicide attack in Ashdod on Sunday.
A scheduled meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Qorei was scrapped after the bombings.
When asked about Sharon's plan for a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Otte voiced his hope that such a measure could become an opportunity for both sides to make progress.
He stressed that should Israel go ahead with the pullout, the European Union would consider offering assistance in the economic and security fields to the Palestinian Authority when it takes over.
Source : Sapa-AFP
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