EU Touts Plan for Palestinian State
In recent months, the United States and the European Union had been taking a relatively unified position on the Middle East. The Europeans, who are seen as tilting toward the Palestinians, had taken an increasingly tough stance with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, calling on him to rein in militants.

But now EU officials are expressing impatience with Washington's hands-off attitude toward peace talks and what many see as its pro-Israel bent and pressure on the Palestinians.

Javier Solana, the EU's chief foreign and security chief, said there can be no peace in the Middle East without putting ``politics back at the center of gravity,'' rather than cracking down on militants.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-EU-Mideast.html