The European Union sought to defuse tension with Washington over the Middle East on Saturday, saying Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could be a "significant step" on the road to peace.
In a statement issued after a meeting of foreign ministers, the EU emphasised what it sees as positive aspects of the unilateral Israeli plan, endorsed by US President George W. Bush this week to the anger of Palestinians.
"The European Union welcomes the prospect of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," the statement said.
"The European Council has stated that such a withdrawal could represent a significant step towards the implementation of the 'road map', provided that it is carried out in accordance with certain conditions." The road map is a peace plan endorsed by the United States, the EU, the United Nations and Russia.
The EU said it concurred with Bush that negotiations on a lasting peace in the Middle East should be agreed between the Israelis and Palestinians themselves "and must not be prejudged".
While restating its previous commitments to a two-state solution to the conflict and the need for full agreement if Israel's 1967 borders are to be altered, the EU made no mention of any disagreement with Washington.
"The European Union notes that President Bush is in agreement with the EU that secure and recognised borders should emerge from negotiations between the parties," it said.
Iraq could be worse than Vietnam: Patten
Top EU official Chris Patten said Saturday it was wrong to compare the war in Iraq with the United States' fate in Vietnam - as the consequences of failure in Iraq would be far more serious.
The European Union's external relations commissioner said that with "the substantial benefit of hindsight, Vietnam would have been caught up in the opening of markets, the end of communism and globalisation". "In the case of Iraq, I think if things go wrong we'll be living with the consequences for a very, very long time," he told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
EU sources said that during the two-day meeting more than one minister, including Germany's Joschka Fischer, made the comparison with the United States' doomed attempt to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.
"If things go wrong in Iraq, it'll make it much more difficult for us to deal with tensions in the Islamic world and the world outside," Patten said.
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