Brussels, 29/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the EU High Representative for the CFSP Javier Solana congratulated acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the victory of his Kadima party in the general election of 28 March. “I encouraged Mr Olmert to pursue all efforts to move towards a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the Middle-East conflict. I assured him that the European Union stands ready, as always, to offer all its support in this process,” said Mr Solana. External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said she was “confident” that the EU and the future Israeli government will be able to continue to develop their “partnership”. Kadima, now the major force in Israeli politics, will, however, have to form a coalition, most probably with the Labour Party of Amir Peretz and other political groupings, to have a majority in the Knesset. In a statement, the leader of the Party of European Socialists (PES), MEP Poul Nyrup Rasmussen felt the new Israeli government “must put the concerns of the Labour Party about economic justice and social cohesion high on their agenda”.