BRUSSELS, April 16 (UPI) -- The European Union has denounced President George Bush's new twist in the Israeli roadmap to peace, the Financial Times reported Friday.
Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said Europe would not accept any change to the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war -- after which Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- unless it had been agreed by both Palestinians and Israelis.
After a White House meeting Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Bush announced his approval for Israel to keep some sections of the West Bank.
French President Jacques Chirac called Israel's plan "dangerous" and said its public backing by Bush set a "troubling precedent," The Times of London reported.
Meanwhile, the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference announced an emergency meeting in Malaysia, at the request of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Arafat called the peace process "dead" and predicted a new cycle of violence.
