The German Foreign Office expressed disagreement with a letter signed by 10 European foreign ministers calling for policy changes in the Middle East.

The foreign ministers said in an open letter to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been appointed envoy for the Middle East quartet -- Russia, the EU, the United States and the United Nations -- that the European Union needs a "redefinition of objectives" in the region, Deutsche Welle reported Wednesday.

The letter called for an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and deployment of an international force in the Palestinian territories. It also called on Israel to make concessions to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

However, German Foreign Office spokesman Jens Plotner said the moves called for by the letter "very clearly" go beyond the "very specific and very purpose" of Blair's mandate.

Plotner said Germany objects to the letter's claim that the so-called road map peace plan is "obsolete."

"The quartet is a kind guardian of the road map," Plotner said, adding that the plan is supported by both Israel and leading Palestinian figures.

UPI

Güncelleme Tarihi: 19 Temmuz 2007, 00:35