BRUSSELS, May 15 (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana called on Palestinian leaders on Tuesday to put an end to factional fighting, warning the violence was blocking tentative Middle East peace efforts.

"Security has to be enforced and has to be guaranteed," Solana told reporters after talks with Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr, an independent member of the Palestinian national unity government.

Security officials said Hamas gunmen killed at least eight members of Mahmoud Abbas's Presidential Guard on Tuesday.

"It would be very difficult to move forward politically if the situation internally among the Palestinians was not guaranteed," said Solana, who said he planned a visit to the Palestinian territories soon.

Solana rejected suggestions that tensions were being exacerbated by the dire state of the local economy, hit by international aid embargoes due to coalition leader Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence.

However Abu Amr called on the EU and the United States to restore direct aid and contacts with the Palestinian government and in particular urged Israel to release frozen tax revenues due to the territories.

"We need this money to alleviate the social, economic and security problems and we call upon the international community to end the political and financial freeze on the Palestinian government and Palestinian people," he said.

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