President Klaus in Israel
On an official visit to Israel, President Vaclav Klaus expressed appreciation for the government's "groundbreaking peace initiative" saying that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip had restored faith in the Middle East peace process and that it was now up to the Palestinian leadership to show goodwill. Meeting with the Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Mr. Klaus said that the Czech Republic would support a balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the European Union.