JERUSALEM, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there is no alternative to a negotiated deal between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of her arrival in Israel.
The European Union will work toward achieving that goal, The Jerusalem Post quoted Ashton as saying Wednesday.
"Urgent progress is now needed toward a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace and the European Union will continue to support all efforts toward that goal," Ashton said.
"There is no alternative to a negotiated solution. We want to see the state of Israel and a sovereign and viable state of Palestine living side by side in peace and security," she said.
She made the statements hours before arriving in Israel where she is due to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other government officials. Ashton was set to meet Thursday with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, the newspaper said.
Netanyahu Tuesday met with Quartet envoy Tony Blair to discuss the current deadlock in negotiations. Netanyahu was scheduled to meet Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm-el-Sheik to discuss the breakdown in talks, the Post said.
Dennis Ross, a senior adviser to the White House, is expected to arrive in Israel for further talks in coming days, the paper said.
