The European Union will pressure Iran, Libya and Syria to denounce terrorist attacks in Israel and will consider sanctions if they don't, Italy's foreign minister said Saturday.
The EU's 15 foreign ministers, on the first of two days of meetings in a luxurious seaside villa here, also discussed urging Israel to let Europe send food and other goods into the West Bank and Gaza. Israel has sealed off the Palestinian-controlled areas to try to prevent more suicide bombings.Italian officials said EU envoys would head to Iran, Libya and Syria shortly after Wednesday's summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where President Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and other European and Middle Eastern leaders will confer with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"We have to meet or the peace process will completely collapse," President Hosni Mubarak said Saturday about the upcoming summit.
The EU envoys will go to Tehran, Tripoli and Damascus to "try to impress upon these people the idea that it is impossible to go on not condemning the terrorist attacks," Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli told reporters. "They're the three countries that haven't condemned terrorism."
But she stopped short of accusing any of the three of being behind the attacks. Washington has accused Iran of providing financial and tactical support to international terrorists, a charge Tehran denies.
In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati said the Middle East peace process was badly flawed, but he blamed Israel's intransigence and avoided condemning the suicide bombings in Israel that have killed 57 victims plus the bombers since Feb. 25.
Asked if the European Union would consider embargoes or other sanctions if the three countries refused to discourage terrorism, Agnelli said: "If they don't answer in the right way, yes."
Other delegations indicated the scope of the EU visit was still undefined. Many European nations have strong economic ties with Arab nations and have been more cautious than the United States in taking hard positions.
"According to the responses we received, we will do what's necessary," said French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette.
Agnelli said the Palermo meeting will yield a joint declaration on Sunday on terrorism but will also try to support Palestinian development.
"We must insist on giving every solidarity to Israel and, of course, condemn the attacks," she said, but Israel must also "make it possible to let in humanitarian aid and reconstruction aid."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Bomb toll now 58
A victim of last Sunday's Jerusalem suicide bus bombing has died of wounds he sustained in the attack, Israel Radio reported late Saturday. The death raises the total killed in the four suicide bombings, which began on Feb. 25 in Jerusalem, to 58.