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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSGEE5B8170
EU Tries to Coax Palestinians Back to Talks with Israel
(Reuters) Douglas Hamilton - The 27-member European Union this week went as far as it diplomatically dared to encourage the Palestinians to resume peace talks with Israel that have been suspended for a year. On Tuesday, EU foreign ministers reaffirmed their belief that Jerusalem must become a shared capital in any deal to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel. "It was the hope that this statement would give support to the Palestinians to resume negotiations, that was an ambition," said an EU official. While a draft statement by Sweden would have gone much further to endorse the Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem, Israel mounted a pre-emptive diplomatic bid last week to banish the proposed tougher language. Sweden had "tried to steal the show" but other EU states stopped it, said Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday. EU member Germany explained that it could not endorse a statement that would impose the shape of a Palestinian state, explicitly naming an East Jerusalem capital. In fact, the EU official said, "the Swedes always knew their proposal was going to be watered down."