German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier (C) and his EU counterparts pose for photographers during the
EU-Foreign Ministers meeting in Bremen, northern Germany, March 30,
2007.(Reuters Photo)
BERLIN,
March 30 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed
his EU counterparts Friday in Bremen for a two-day informal meeting focusing on
Iran, Kosovo and the Middle East.
The 27 EU foreign ministers would hear a report by
High Representative Javier Solana on the Arab League meeting and discuss the
current situation in the Middle East.
"We want to encourage regional efforts towards
progress in Israeli-Palestinian relations, and we will continue our commitment,"
Steinmeier said at the opening of the meeting.
The future status of Kosovo was another topic the
ministers would discuss, now that the proposal on the matter drawn up by UN
Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari has been submitted to the UN Security Council,
said Steinmeier, whose country is holding the rotating EU presidency.
The task now was to work towards a Security Council
decision, within a reasonable period of time, which guaranteed security and
stability in the Balkans, he added.
They would talk about Iran's nuclear program and
issue a joint appeal to urge Tehran to release the 15 British sailors it seized
last Friday.
"It is clear that this meeting will also send a
signal of solidarity," Steinmeier said.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett would
brief her colleagues about current developments in this case.
Steinmeier invited the European members of the UN
Security Council, Britain, France, Slovakia, Italy and Belgium to preliminary
talks on Kosovo and Iran as they are concerning the Security Council.
"Our aim is to agree on a common position on these
issues," Steinmeier said.
BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- European Union foreign
ministers Friday urged Iran to immediately and unconditionally release the 15
British sailors captured last week.
At a two-day informal meeting in Bremen, Germany, the
ministers from the 27 EU member states underlines their "unconditional support"
for Britain, a statement said. Full story
BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of the 27-memberEuropean Union
failed on Friday to reach consensus on a United Nations proposal for Kosovo's
supervised independence.
Slovakia, Spain and Greece, who feared that independence of Kosovo will
trigger demands for similar treatment by other minority groups in Europe, are
opposed to the proposal raised by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. Full story
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