CAIRO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Visiting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Wednesday said the European side wanted its observing mission on the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt to be more effective.

    After meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Solana told a press conference that the European Union (EU) was seeking to carry out its mission in a more effective way, especially on the issue of closing and opening the crossing.

    He also said the EU will extend, for another year, the mandate of the observer mission at the crossing, which will end later this month.

    Both the Palestinians and Israel have requested the EU to extend the mission and the EU has accepted, said Solana, quoted by Egypt's official news agency MENA.

    The EU on Monday made its decision to extend its border mission at Rafah, which is the only way for Gaza residents to travel outside the Palestinian territories.

    Since Nov. 25 of 2005, EU monitors have been tasked to monitor movements at the Rafah crossing and to train Palestinian officers working there, following the Israeli major withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

    But since June last year, Israel ordered the closure of Rafah crossing following the capture of its Corporal Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants. Since then, Israel has been allowing occasional openings of the only passenger terminal for Gaza.