The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, was urged by the Palestinian foreign minister today to do all he could to rekindle a peace process when he visits the Middle East next week.
Mr Cowen met Mr Nabil Shaath of the Palestinian Authority in Dublin this morning for talks on Ireland's six-month EU presidency. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, held a brief meeting with Mr Shaath this morning before leaving for Germany.
Following the meeting, Mr Shaath described the European Union as "the ally of choice", while Mr Cowen assured him that inaction in the region was "simply not an option".
"Our relationship with Europe and the European Union has been one with what I call the ally of our choice," Mr Shaath said, distinguishing between Europe and the United States.
"The difference between the United States and Europe, in our view, has to do really with geographical, cultural and strategic proximity...," he said. "Our trade, cultural and political relations are much closer to Europe because of history."
"The two single most important requirements is a ceasefire, and the stopping of the building of the wall further into Palestinian territories as conditions to move forward," he said.
"I am confident Europe in general and Ireland will help the humanitarian situation, and it has been helping," Mr Shaath added. "But it's not relief that we want, we want a solution to end further misery."
"We are very strongly of the view that inaction is simply not an option," said Mr Cowen. "We have to call on everybody, the international community and the parties concerned, to rise to the challenge and answer the responsibility."
Mr Cowen will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom next Thursday before travelling to Egypt to meet counterpart Ahmed Mahar on Saturday. He will not, however, meet Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.