THE Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, yesterday appealed to Jordan to lift its ban on Irish beef.
Mr Mitchell was in Amman as part of the EU Troika, on a three day mission to Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. He is expected to discuss the issue with the country's health minister today.
The Troika, which conducts EU diplomacy and consists of the current, incoming and outgoing presidencies of the EU, heard strong appeals in Cairo from Egypt and the Arab League for greater EU involvement in the Middle East peace process.
Mr Mitchell took the opportunity of his meeting with the Jordanian Prime Minister, Mr Abdul Karim Kariti, to emphasise Ireland's animal health standards and measures to keep BSE out of the food chain. Mr Kariti is understood to have expressed sympathy.
Both the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, and the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Franz Fischler, have written to Mr Kariti asking for the ban imposed in March to be lifted.
Reflecting anger in the Arab world at what is seen to be the deeply partisan position of the US in the region, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa, said Europe had no effective role in the peace process, but "we are asking them to play a more active role in introducing balance in the establishment of peace and in creating a climate conducive to a just, lasting peace.
President Mubarak said Egypt's willingness to associate itself with the US in the peace process is being jeopardised among Arabs by US failure to criticise Israel's actions in Lebanon.
The Arab League Secretary General, Mr Esmat Abdel Meguid, called on the EU to help bring about regional peace.
"Our feeling is that there is an injustice towards us. After the aggression there is a feeling of anger and we have shared this opinion with the European Troika and hope that they will open the road for a comprehensive peace in the Middle East," he said.
Mr Kariti is understood to have warned that there was a danger that a certain regional power, understood to be Syria, could play off the EU against the US.
In talks with the Egyptian President, Mr Mubarak, Mr Mitchell expressed gratitude for the lifting by Egypt of its ban on Irish beef.
