EU says Abbas is legitimate, urges dialogue

BRUSSELS, June 15 (Reuters) The European Commission said today it fully supported Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and called for dialogue to end Palestinian civil strife after the Islamist Hamas movement seized control of the Gaza Strip.

''We fully support President Abbas,'' a spokeswoman for the European Union executive told a news conference. ''We call on President Abbas, the legitimate president of all Palestinians, to make his utmost to resolve the situation through dialogue and to work towards national unity and reconciliation.'' She said foreign ministers of the Quartet of international peace mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- would hold a telephone conference during the day to discuss developments in the Palestinian territories and the EU aimed to continue humanitarian aid to both the West Bank and Gaza.

REUTERS SLD KN1635