PARIS (AP) — France wants the European Union to have a seat at the table during next week's start of U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says it would be "too bad" if the EU were locked out — noting the bloc’s political involvement in the region and its role as a top contributor of financial aid to the Palestinians.
Kouchner said in a speech Friday, August 27, to French ambassadors that he has written a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressing his concern.
The talks were shelved two years ago, but the U.S. administration is hoping for a breakthrough during the new rounds of negotiations set to begin Sept. 2.
