EU for talks on Middle East

EU Foreign Ministers will convene in Brussels today for an urgent meeting called by the Czech EU Presidency to discuss the unfolding situation in the Middle East.

The ministers will hold talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, which will be followed by a second extraordinary meeting on Sunday with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

The objective of both meetings with partners was to find the most effective way to help the citizens of Gaza in their difficult humanitarian situation and clarify the role and strategy of the EU in searching for a more stable secure situation in the Middle East.

The two meetings will be chaired by Karel Schwarzenberg, president of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council and Czech Republic Foreign Affairs Minister.

It will also be attended by Javier Solana, EU Council Secretary General of and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy.

In today's meeting Malta will be represented by its Permanent Representative Richard Cachia Caruana, since Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg is accompanying the Prime Minister on a visit to Germany.