The European Union insisted today there could be no unilateral change in Middle East borders after US President George W. Bush said Israel could keep some Arab land captured in 1967.
"The European Union will not recognise any change to the pre-1967 borders other than those arrived at by agreement between the parties," the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen said in a statement on behalf of the EU presidency.
Mr Cowen also said an international peace "road map", in which the EU is a partner with the United States, stressed that any settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "must include an agreed, just, fair and realistic solution to the refugee issue".
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon secured unprecedented US backing for his plan to hold on to parts of the West Bank, a policy shift by Mr Bush that strengthens Mr Sharon politically just weeks ahead of a vote in his Likud Party on a proposed Gaza Strip pullout.
An exchange of letters between Mr Bush and Mr Sharon at a White House meeting put in writing US support for Israel's plan to withdraw from all Gaza Strip settlements and some West Bank enclaves.
Mr Bush said it was "unrealistic" to expect Israel to pull back to the borders that existed before the 1967 Mideast war due to large Jewish population centres that have been built on the territory since then. He also ruled out Palestinian refugees returning to Israel after a Palestinian state is created.
Mr Bush's change to long-standing US policy enraged the Palestinians, who are demanding that all West Bank and Gaza Strip settlements be dismantled so a Palestinian state can be established on the land.
Agencies