This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8573715.stm
The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| EU's foreign chief to visit Gaza | EU's foreign chief to visit Gaza |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Baroness Catherine Ashton, the European Union's new foreign policy chief, is due shortly in the Gaza Strip. | |
| Ms Ashton will be one of the most senior Western political figures to visit Gaza since Hamas took power. | Ms Ashton will be one of the most senior Western political figures to visit Gaza since Hamas took power. |
| Her arrival in the Palestinian territory comes amid a new push by the EU to revive stalled Middle East peace talks. | Her arrival in the Palestinian territory comes amid a new push by the EU to revive stalled Middle East peace talks. |
| She will later head to Moscow for a meeting of the Middle East Quartet, made up of the EU, US, UN and Russia. | She will later head to Moscow for a meeting of the Middle East Quartet, made up of the EU, US, UN and Russia. |
| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in the Russian capital for the talks. | US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in the Russian capital for the talks. |
| In the Middle East, Baroness Ashton is also scheduled to meet Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli President Shimon Peres. | In the Middle East, Baroness Ashton is also scheduled to meet Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli President Shimon Peres. |
| But it is her visit to Gaza which is arousing the most interest, says Jon Donnison, the BBC's Gaza correspondent. | But it is her visit to Gaza which is arousing the most interest, says Jon Donnison, the BBC's Gaza correspondent. |
| Regional tour | Regional tour |
| Only two European foreign ministers have come to Gaza in the past year, our correspondent notes. | Only two European foreign ministers have come to Gaza in the past year, our correspondent notes. |
| Foreign officials are often refused entry by Israel, or their governments choose not to come because they do not recognise Hamas. | Foreign officials are often refused entry by Israel, or their governments choose not to come because they do not recognise Hamas. |
| Baroness Ashton is one of the few Western officials to visit Gaza | Baroness Ashton is one of the few Western officials to visit Gaza |
| The visit has been welcomed by the United Nations, which says the blockade of Gaza has left hundreds of thousands in Gaza living in poverty. | The visit has been welcomed by the United Nations, which says the blockade of Gaza has left hundreds of thousands in Gaza living in poverty. |
| The head of the UN's refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, John Ging, said the people of Gaza were hoping for a single outcome from Baroness Ashton's visit - a lifting of the Israeli siege. | The head of the UN's refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, John Ging, said the people of Gaza were hoping for a single outcome from Baroness Ashton's visit - a lifting of the Israeli siege. |
| "It's phenomenally important because people at the policy-making level have to have that first-hand experience to really unravel the complexity, and then also to see the simplicity of the plight of the people and the urgency for action," he said. | "It's phenomenally important because people at the policy-making level have to have that first-hand experience to really unravel the complexity, and then also to see the simplicity of the plight of the people and the urgency for action," he said. |
| "We have to have action. A thousand days and a thousand nights of a mediaeval siege is far too much. It's a shame - it's a disgrace." | "We have to have action. A thousand days and a thousand nights of a mediaeval siege is far too much. It's a shame - it's a disgrace." |
| Baroness Ashton is on a regional tour that began in Cairo and also includes Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. | Baroness Ashton is on a regional tour that began in Cairo and also includes Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. |
| On Wednesday she visited Jerusalem where she met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and held a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman. | On Wednesday she visited Jerusalem where she met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and held a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman. |
| During the conference, she said that Israel must return to the negotiating table immediately. | During the conference, she said that Israel must return to the negotiating table immediately. |