EU ministers seek to bolster Mideast peace talks

European Union foreign ministers sought ways to bolster the Middle East peace process Monday and were to push Israeli and Palestinian leaders to live up to commitments to resume negotiations after six years of violence and stalemate. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said ministers were considering how the EU, United States and the UN "can support contacts" between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, who debriefed ministers on his weekend trip to the region, said Sunday that the time was right to put the peace process back on track amid recent Israeli moves to bolster the moderate PA chairman.