European Union (EU) foreign ministers made it clear Friday that the new Israeli government as well as the new Palestinian government must stick to the two-state solution.

"We support the two-state solution, that is our point of departure. That goes for our relations with Israel, and with a future Palestinian government," Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told reporters at the end of the first day of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Both sides must honor their commitments and obligations arising from the two-state solution and respect all international agreements reached in the past years, he said.

He warned that failure by either side to stick to the two-state solution would be a serious political problem. Asked what would be the consequences if the new Israeli government were not to do so, Schwarzenberg said "The relations would become very very difficult indeed to us." He said EU foreign ministers will discuss the consequences in a later meeting.

He said there are positive signs for the Middle East. The Obama administration in the United States has been immediately engaged in the Middle East question at the inception of the administration.

Schwarzenberg said Syria has recently also taken positive steps, including the exchange of ambassadors with Lebanon, the first time in history. The positive steps taken by Syria will be reflected in its relations with the EU, he said, adding that there was no formal decision on Syria on Friday because of the informal nature of the meeting.

EU's External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner indicated earlier Friday that the EU should sign an Association Agreement with Syria.

"I'm convinced, personally, that engaging with Syria is in our interest, given the role (it plays) in the region," Ferrero-Waldner told reporters on the sidelines of the foreign ministers' meeting.

"We should not proceed in a blindfolded manner. That's clear. But we should keep Syria's actions under scrutiny. We should not only recognize the positive steps taken already, but also encourage Syria to fulfill its commitments," said Ferrero-Waldner, who is attending an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.

"The Association Agreement should be seen in this context. It's not only a setout of the framework of our cooperation but it also contains a lot of obligations."

Ferrero-Waldner said the Association Agreement is not a gift to Syria from the EU. "But it is indeed a contractual relationship that gives chances but at the same time asks for obligations."

Technical negotiations on an EU-Syria Association Agreement were concluded as early as in October 2004. However, the EU has deemed that political circumstances were so far not right for its signature and ratification.

An Association Agreement is a treaty between the EU and a non-EU country that creates a framework for cooperation in politics, trade, society, culture and security.

The EU foreign ministers also discussed their civilian mission capabilities. EU foreign and security chief Javier Solana said the EU is carrying out nine civilian missions, which involve over 5,000 people.

On Saturday, the ministers will be joined by their counterparts from the Western Balkans for a discussion of the region. The EU ministers will face inquiries into the EU's enlargement policy after Germany said the bloc should stop enlarging for a while after Croatia.

"It's very important to be committed in the Western Balkans. It's very important to keep the Western Balkan countries on board," said Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb upon arrival for the meeting.

"It's very important to keep Turkey on board. The financial crisis will, in my mind, speed up enlargement, not slow it down," he said.

Like Croatia, Turkey has been holding accession talks with the EU since October 2005.

Source: Xinhua