The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, this morning met his Israeli counterpart Mr Silvan Shalom to discuss the stalled Middle East Peace process.
This is the second meeting between the two countries since the beginning of Ireland's Presidency. At a press conference following the meeting, Mr Cowen stressed the need to move the peace negotiations forward.
He said the eruption of "horrific violence" since the breakdown in talks only reinforced his view that inaction is not an option for the Middle East.
Discussions between the two ministers centred on the peace process, with Mr Cowen urging "the need for action by both sides, starting with small, concrete and visible steps drawn from the roadmap."
Mr Cowen briefed Mr Shalom on the European Council meeting last Monday, where European Foreign Ministers discussed the Middle East in some depth and called for an early meeting to take place between the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers.
Next week Mr Cowen will lead an EU delegation to meet US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell in Washington. He will be accompanied by the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr Javier Solana and External Relations Commissioner, Mr Chris Patten.
The Middle East Peace process, Iraq, Iran, Cyprus and the preparations for the EU follow-up to NATO's Stabilisation Force in Bosnia, SFOR (in which Irish troops have served since 1997) are among the topics tabled for discussion.
Ahead of next week's meeting Mr Cowen said: "The US, a member of the Quartet with the EU, is a hugely important partner in efforts to achieve a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East. It is important that we work in the closest union towards that shared goal."