European Leaders Troubled by U.S. Role in Peace Process

European officials, feeling shut out of the Middle East peace process, are complaining about the role of the United States in that region.

Italian Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member European Union, said Sunday in Jordan that the European Union should play a larger role in seeking a lasting Middle East peace because it is more familiar than the United States with the realities of the region.

Her remarks came during a visit to the Middle East this week by a delegation of European foreign ministers.

The visit occurred just weeks after several European officials had unsuccessfully joined efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel, Syria and Lebanon. At the request of Israel, the United States became the sole player involved in concluding a deal.

“The role of the Europeans is different from the role of the Americans because as Mediterraneans, we feel ourselves close to the peoples of the region and there are a lot of questions that we do understand better than the Americans,” Agnelli said.

“Even though the Americans are more powerful and they can use this power to establish peace, we understand this region better than they do,” she added.

Agnelli said during a visit earlier on Sunday to Egypt that President Hosni Mubarak had complained that the United States was too biased toward Israel to play the role of an honest broker in the Middle East.

She said Mubarak had expressed “a feeling of injustice” in the region because “there has been too much bending towards Israel” by the United States, Agnelli said.

“We’re going to report to our European partners and express what our feelings are, which are that we think the attitude of the world should be more balanced,” Agnelli said.