October 18, 2003	Saturday	Sha'aban 21, 1424

BRUSSELS, Oct 17: EU leaders warned on Friday that Israel’s construction of a West Bank “security” barrier could make it impossible to reach a peace deal and accused both sides of failing to do enough to end their conflict.

The harsh warning to Israel was accompanied by an insistence that the Palestinian Authority crack down on anti-Israeli attacks and a fierce condemnation of the “vile” deadly bombing of a US diplomatic convoy this week.

The European Union, one of the co-sponsors of the internationally-backed peace “roadmap,” also warned in conclusions to a two-day summit in Brussels that the rising violence threatened security in the Middle East and beyond.

In particular, the EU said the leaders were concerned about the route of the Israeli barrier through the West Bank.

“The envisaged departure of the route from the ‘green line’ could prejudge future negotiations and make the two-state solution physically impossible to implement,” the draft said.—AFP