EU chief sorry over Jewish comments
EU trade chief issues apology over 'Jewish lobby' comments
The EU trade chief has apologised for blaming Jews and the "Jewish lobby" in Washington for blocking peace in the Middle East.
Karel de Gucht said in a statement he did not mean to stigmatise Jews and wants to "make it clear that anti-Semitism has no place in today's world".
In an interview with Belgian radio, De Gucht blamed the "Jewish lobby" in Washington for hindering the Middle East peace process and said it was hard to have "a rational discussion" with moderate Jews about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
EU spokesman Olivier Bailly says De Gucht's "personal comments ... do not reflect the EU attitude about the Middle East peace process."
Press Association
