The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, has had talks with the Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Jerusalem this evening. Mr Cowen conveyed his condolences to all those who had suffered from what he called "the murderous attacks of recent days".
He was speaking in a press conference following the meeting. He said that the European Union stands ready to assist in efforts to end the current cycle of violence in the Middle East.
Mr Perez said that his government remained committed to the implementation of the Mitchell Report. Mr Peres and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are said to be pressing ahead with plans for a series of meetings, reportedly beginning tomorrow night. The meeting is expected to take place at a location on the Israeli border with the Palestinian territories.
Earlier, Mr Cowen met the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. He appealed to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume dialogue aimed at ending the current cycle of violence in the Middle East.
Mr Cowen is expected to meet the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat. The last 24 hours have provided a sombre backdrop for Mr Cowen's whistle-stop tour of the Middle East.
The fact finding mission comes just weeks before Ireland assumes the chair of the United Nations Security Council, a role that may place our diplomats at the centre of efforts to end the current cycle of killing.
Irish officials expect Mr Cowen will meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday morning. The Minister then travels the short distance to the West Bank town of Ramallah, where he expects to meet Palestinian President Yasser Arafat before heading off to Lebanon and a final stop in Syria.
While that schedule is not expected to change dramatically during the next four days, the same cannot be said about the political situation in the Middle East.
In a separate development, a Palestinian policeman was killed overnight by Israeli tank fire in the northern Jenin area of the West Bank following yesterday's wave of violence by Palestinian suicide bombers.
