BRUSSELS, Dec 15: The European Union tried to counter Israel’s attempt to sideline Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Friday, just days after apparently tilting towards Israel in exasperation at a wave of suicide bombings.

“Israel needs a partner to negotiate with, both in order to eradicate terrorism and to work towards peace: this partner is the Palestinian Authority and its elected President Yasser Arafat,” the EU said in a statement.

Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, chairing a summit of EU leaders at Belgium’s Laeken royal palace, said all attempts to weaken or discredit Arafat “are initiatives contrary to peace that also undermine his ability to fight terrorism”.

Officials said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had sent a letter to the summiteers, pointing out that those responsible for the latest attacks were on a list of 33 suspects which Arafat’s Palestinian Authority had been asked to arrest.

But one European diplomat said EU leaders were unmoved.

“We’re seeing a big push by the Israelis to get the United States to cut links with Arafat,” the diplomat said. “For the European Union, this is out of the question.”

Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said Arafat had also sent a letter to the EU, but he declined to comment on the content of either text.

Israel cut ties with Arafat on Thursday after the latest wave of attacks on Jewish settlers and unleashed F-16 jets on Palestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

It advanced its forces to within 100 metres (yards) of Arafat’s headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah after declaring the Palestinian leader “irrelevant”.—Reuters