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Dispute on Paris summit wording Dispute on Paris summit wording
(about 3 hours later)
Israel and the Palestinians have disagreed over the final declaration of the Mediterranean summit held in Paris, France's foreign minister has said.Israel and the Palestinians have disagreed over the final declaration of the Mediterranean summit held in Paris, France's foreign minister has said.
Bernard Kouchner said the wording of the founding text of the Union for the Mediterranean would have to be changed.Bernard Kouchner said the wording of the founding text of the Union for the Mediterranean would have to be changed.
There were difficulties with the use of the term "national and democratic state" to describe Israel, he said.There were difficulties with the use of the term "national and democratic state" to describe Israel, he said.
Earlier, Israel's leader said his country had never been closer to a peace deal with the Palestinians.Earlier, Israel's leader said his country had never been closer to a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke after talks on the sidelines of the summit with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke after talks on the sidelines of the summit with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Mr Abbas also said both sides were serious and wanted peace.Mr Abbas also said both sides were serious and wanted peace.
Leaders from 43 nations have launched the Union for the Mediterranean, which has put ending conflict in the Middle East as one of its main priorities. "We have no alternative but to achieve this peace," he said.
Sarkozy's plea
Leaders from 43 nations have launched the Union for the Mediterranean, which has made ending conflict in the Middle East one of its main priorities.
Mr Sarkozy says his presidency of the EU is committed to progress on Middle East peace
It will also tackle issues like immigration and pollution.
The summit's host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said the aim was to see that the region was a place where people could love each other instead of making war.
Mr Sarkozy urged Middle Eastern countries involved in long-running conflicts to end the deadly spiral of war and violence, as European nations had done by making peace which each other during the 20th Century.
He said the presidency of the European Union - which France currently holds - was committed to progress on Middle East peace.
Syria talks
Speaking after the summit, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said it could take between six months and two years to reach a peace agreement with Israel - even if both sides agreed to hold face-to-face talks.
Mr Sarkozy is one of those politicians who is full of surprises because he is always campaigning Mardell blog: Sea of Tranquillity?Mediterranean Union is launched
Turkey is currently acting as a mediator between the two countries.
In a French TV interview, Mr Assad also said he did not believe any accord could be reached this year, while President Bush remains in office in the US.
Earlier, Mr Olmert said he hoped the indirect talks would soon become direct ones.
Gaddafi boycott
Progress has already been made in other areas during the Paris summit.
Mr Sarkozy announced on Saturday that Syria and Lebanon had agreed to set up embassies in each other's capitals for the first time.
Relations between the two have been strained since Lebanon's former PM Rafik Hariri was assassinated in 2005 - an attack which Lebanon claims Syria was involved in.
The French president also asked Mr Assad to use his ties with Iran to help resolve the international stand-off over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Mr Sarkozy has long spearheaded the idea of a Union for the Mediterranean.
Comprising 27 EU members with states from north Africa, the Balkans, Israel and the Arab world, the new body membership will include 756 million people stretching from western Europe to the Jordanian desert.
Critics have dismissed the new union as lacking substance, and diplomats say there are continuing disagreements over key issues such as how to address the Middle East peace process and a possible role for the Arab League.
The only European or Mediterranean rim leader boycotting the Paris meeting is Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, who has described the union as a new form of colonialism.