Israel should free Hamas ministers: EU President

Berliny, June 1: Israel should release dozens of detained Palestinian officials and the Palestinians should free immediately an Israeli soldier, the new Finnish EU president was quoted as saying today.

''I am very concerned about developments in the Middle East.

The only way to resolve the conflict is to return to the negotiating table,'' Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said in an interview with Germany's Die Welt newspaper.

Today Vanhanen took over from Austria as the head of the rotating presidency of the 25-member European Union.

''I call on the Palestinians to immediately release the Israeli soldier they took hostage. At the same time, Israel must halt its military operations, free the Palestinian ministers and members of parliament and stop destroying civilian infrastructure in the Palestinian territories,'' he said.

Reuters