BRUSSELS: European Union heads of government yesterday condemned the Israeli government's assassination of the Palestinian Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, saying his "extra-judicial" killing was contrary to international law.
Israel has defended the action, in which seven other people - including his bodyguards and son-in-law - died, as necessary to bring an end to Hamas-ordered suicide attacks on the Jewish state.
At the end of their spring summit in Brussels yesterday, the EU leaders, meeting as the European Council under the chairmanship of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said that while condemning acts of terrorism against Israel they had consistently opposed this sort of action by Israel.
"The present cycle of retaliatory violence has caused widespread suffering and loss of life, has inflamed the situation and is taking the parties ever further from a negotiated settlement," the leaders said in a statement of conclusions to their meeting.
They reiterated their belief that the way forward in the Middle East lay via the so-called road map for peace sponsored by the United Nations, the United States, the EU and Russia.
The council noted recent comments by the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, about withdrawing Israeli forces from occupying the Gaza Strip.
It said such a withdrawal "could represent a significant step towards the implementation of the road map" only if it took place within the context of the road map, if it was a step towards a two-state solution (Israel and Palestine), if it did not involve a transfer of settlement activity to the West Bank, if it was organised and there was a negotiated handover to the Palestinian Authority, and finally, if Israel facilitated the reconstruction of Gaza.
On Cyprus, the heads of government said in their statement that they supported current efforts to achieve a settlement and that this settlement should be "in line with the principles on which the Union is founded" - an apparent reference to Turkish Cypriot demands for a derogation from the EU requirement for free movement or goods and people.
On other international matters, the council said it "strongly condemned" the recent violence in Kosovo. It also congratulated President Putin on his recent re-election in Russia.