EU will try to restart Mideast peace process

THE EU will use the funeral of Yasser Arafat as an opportunity to restart the Middle East peace process and try to draw in US and Israeli support.

EU leaders at their summit in Brussels last week agreed a plan to get the road map back on track and gave foreign relations chief Javier Solana a free hand to achieve it.

Mr Solana will with foreign ministers from all the EU member states attend the funeral ceremony for the Palestinian president in Cairo today, but he will also travel to Ramallah, where the burial takes place tomorrow. He will present his condolences to the Palestinian leaders.