Ankara - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Thursday hailed a French-Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and said the EU was ready to return as monitors of border crossing points in the strip.

Speaking after meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Solana said the ceasefire proposal was "a little bit of light in a very difficult process" but warned that a permanent solution would take a long time.

"For now we are concentrating on how to stop the crisis. ... Once we have achieved that we can move on to details of a more permanent nature," Solana told reporters in Ankara.

Solana also said the EU was ready to deploy monitors to watch over border crossing points in the Gaza Strip whether under agreements that had been made in the past or under new agreements.

"We are happy and willing to be a part of the solution. If we have to deploy again, we are ready."

The EU foreign policy chief also thanked Turkey for its diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis in the Middle East saying the EU and Turkey were on the same wavelength.

Solana was scheduled to return to Brussels Thursday afternoon. (dpa)