HAMBURG – Israel’s former ambassador to Germany, Avi Primor, urged in a newspaper interview for stronger support by the European Union member states for the unofficial Mideast peace plan signed in Geneva in early December.

In a commentary in the weekly Die Zeit newspaper, Primor said EU member states, including Germany, should be more outspoken in their support for the plan drafted by former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo.

“Proof that important countries abroad are taking the Geneva agreement seriously and promoting this initiative could increase the credibility of this initiative in the eyes of Israeli citizens,” Primor wrote.

He said this especially applied to Germany, a country which “after the United States is regarded as Israel’s greatest friend in the world, but which also benefits from an especially high esteem among the Palestinians”.

His remarks about the need for German support for the unofficial Geneva plan were published a day ahead of the Hamburg-based Die Zeit’s next issue appearing on Thursday.

They came while German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was preparing to meet later Wednesday with his Palestinian national authority counterpart, Nabil Shaath, in Berlin for talks on the Middle East peace process.

The unofficial Mideast peace plan signed in Geneva in early December has been blasted as “dangerous” by Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon.

But the plan, seeking to get Israel and the Palestinians back on a road to peace in addressing crucial issues, including the status of Jerusalem, has been welcomed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and also been given tacit encouragement by the United States.