Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts     

Special Report: Global Financial Crisis     

    BRUSSELS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers from the European Union (EU) met here Monday to discuss economic plans ahead of next Sunday's EU extraordinary summit, the Middle East peace process and the EU's Eastern Partnership program.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn (R) talks with Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado during the first-day meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council at EU headquarters of Brussels, capital of Belgium, Feb. 23, 2009. The two-day meeting will focus on the economic plans ahead of next Sunday's EU extraordinary summit, the Middle East peace process and the EU's Eastern Partnership program.(Xinhua/Wu Wei) Photo Gallery>>>

    The meeting came after major EU nations agreed on Sunday on concrete measures to enforce supervision of world financial markets. 

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (L) and his Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg reponse to questions from the media prior to the first-day meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council at EU headquarters of Brussels, capital of Belgium, Feb. 23, 2009. (Xinhua/Wu Wei) Photo Gallery>>>

    At a meeting in Berlin, leaders and finance ministers from Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and the Czech Republic agreed that all financial markets, products and participants, including hedge funds and credit rating agencies, should be put under tougher supervision or regulation, and called for tougher sanction mechanisms against tax havens and "uncooperative" financial centers.

    The Berlin meeting was aimed at forging a common EU position before the April 2 G20 financial summit in London.

    In Brussels, the EU foreign ministers are also expected to discuss the latest developments in the Western Balkans and Afghanistan.

    On the Middle East, the ministers are expected to focus on humanitarian situation and the reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, and discuss prospects for peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been tasked with forming a new Israeli government.

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