The Middle East and Afghanistan, EU enlargement and defence policy, world trade and global terrorism are on the agenda of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers today and Tuesday.
The General Affairs Council (GAC) will be held against the backdrop of the highest-ranking EU mission to the Middle East since the start of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation 14 months ago.
Belgian Prime Minister Mr Guy Verhofstadt and Foreign Minister Mr Louis Michel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, were touring the region over the weekend with European Commission President Mr Romano Prodi and EU foreign policy chief Mr Javier Solana.
The mission is seeking to raise the EU's profile in the region but is bringing no fresh plans, according to EU diplomats. It met with top Israeli and Palestinian leaders in hopes of refloating the foundering peace plan.
Today's GAC will also assess the evolving situation in Afghanistan and the composition of a new Kabul government.
The EU's susceptibility to global terrorism - including biological and chemical attack - and ways to combat it are also high on the GAC agenda. The foreign ministers will be holding sessions with EU defence ministers and security officials to assess threats and defences.
The foreign ministers will get a report from EU Trade Commissioner Mr Pascal Lamy, who led the EU delegation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting that ended in Qatar last Wednesday.
Mr Lamy will expand on his earlier comments that the six-day meeting, which admitted China as a member and started fresh multilateral trade talks, left the 142-member WTO "stronger and better balanced" and is "very good news".
AFP