The European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana today embarked on a six-day mission to the Middle East, aiming to breathe new life into stalled peace efforts.

It is his first visit to the region after the full deployment of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, which the West wants to use to restart talks between conflicting parties, notably Israelis and Palestinians.

Solana wants to make clear to regional leaders that the 25-nation bloc remains committed to pushing peace in the region, seen through its participation in the 7,000-strong mostly-European UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

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