Paris, 14/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - A few hours before the Summit for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the French President Nicolas Sarkozy held a meeting at the Élysée Palace, in the morning of Sunday 13 July, with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehoud Olmert and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. "The Union for the Mediterranean is not peace. And peace must come between the Israelis and Palestinians", said the French President, going on to add, "Europe's role is to help towards peace”.
"We would like to affirm that we have started in-depth negotiations", continued the President of the Palestinian Authority, after having paid tribute to Nicolas Sarkozy as "President of the French Republic, President of the Union for the Mediterranean, President of the European Union and a friend of the Israelis and Palestinians". Ehoud Olmert said that he was "very moved" by Nicolas Sarkozy's initiative, putting this meeting with Mahmoud Abbas "at the heart" of the launch summit of the UfM. "We have never been so close to the possibility of an agreement", Mr Olmert continued. The two leaders continued their talks bilaterally before taking part in the launch summit of the UfM in the afternoon. (L.B.S. /trans.fl)