British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook warned Thursday that there was "no alternative" to the peace process in the Middle East, where the situation was now "very serious, very grave."
"Everyone I have met is very anxious to make sure that we end the violence of the last two weeks," he told BBC radio from Israel, where he has joined the international diplomatic search for a solution.
He said he had found "welcome recognition" that "there is no alternative to the peace process, and a really serious commitment that as soon as we can get the conditions right, negotiations should resume."
The scale of the problem was highlighted Wednesday evening when three more Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers, bringing to 102 the number of dead since violence erupted on September 28.
Cook met Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Later Thursday he was expected to seek further meetings in Egypt, Syria and Jordan, although the agenda was still being finalized.
Top Israel, Palestinian and US officials were to hold a tripartite security meeting, probably Thursday, to discuss the ongoing violence.
Cook added: "It has come as a shock to those involved in the peace process just how much violence there has been.
"There has been real bewilderment and grief within the West Bank and Gaza at the scale of the losses.
"Nobody is underrating the scale of the difficulty and the severity of recent events. But at the same time there is a genuine commitment to try and find a solution." - LONDON (AFP)
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