Israeli official in talks with EU as hostage deadline expires

Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni was to hold talks with EU leaders in Finland today, as tensions in the Middle East increased after a deadline expired for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners.

Livni was to meet prime minister Matti Vanhanen and foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja in Helsinki to discuss the possibility of relaunching the Mideast peace process and the EU’s relations with Israel.