Brussels, 18/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The ongoing revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and other countries of the Arab world will dominate the talks at the Foreign Affairs Council to be chaired by Catherine Ashton on Monday 21 February 2011, and preceded by a dinner on Sunday evening when the EU's foreign ministers will be able to freely discuss the situation in North Africa and the Middle East and decide what approach the EU will take in its relations with these countries in the future. The other main issues on the agenda are the Middle East peace process and the EU's strategy vis-à-vis Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the fringes of the Council, an EU-Israel Cooperation Council meeting will be held on Tuesday 22 February, along with an informal meeting of EU development ministers.
Egypt and Tunisia. The aim of the discussions over dinner on Sunday night is to have very free and frank political talks (dixit a high-ranking official) about the wave of protest in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and elsewhere in the Arab world, and how this might impact on the EU, the discussions at the meeting on Monday will be more technical, focussing more on Egypt and Tunisia. The ministers will discuss the aid package for Tunisia offered by Catherine Ashton on 14 February 2011 and the package she will be offering Egypt during her official visit to Cairo on Monday evening (21 February) and Tuesday (no doubt very similar in nature but probably with different amounts of cash). While in Cairo, Ashton will be listening to requests for aid that might be addressed to the EU by the new Egyptian authorities. Meanwhile, the EU's diplomatic corps, the European External Action Service, is preparing other aid packages, including technical aid for preparing for elections, institution-building, developing civil society and social and economic aid. Agreement in principle on the freezing of the assets of the former Egyptian leaders may emerge on Monday, but the practical introduction of such measures will take time because the EU is still waiting for a list of individuals whose assets the Egyptians authorities would like frozen. The Council's conclusions document will probably only cover Egypt and Tunisia.
Middle East peace process. Over dinner, Ashton will brief the ministers about her recent trip to Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Jordan. The ministers will discuss the prospects for re-vitalising the peace process in light of the recent Quartet meeting.
Bosnia Herzegovina. Catherine Ashton will present an overview of the EU's new “strategy” for Bosnia, currently being prepared by her department. If the ministers agree with the line taken, the Council may decide to officially endorse the strategy in March, explain close sources. The draft strategy says that Bosnia must meet a raft of commitments before ratification can go ahead for the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (ASA). The EU wants to ensure that Bosnia's planned request to join the EU (announced for later in the year) is “credible”, in other words, preceded by substantial reforms in a number of areas. The question of the future of EU Representation in Bosnia will also be discussed. The idea is to merge the post of EU Representative in Sarajevo with that of EU Special Representative in Bosnia (currently Austria's Valentin Inzko, whose term of office ends in August 2011).
Freedom of religion. Following the ministers' failure to reach agreement on freedom of religion at the last Council meeting (see EUROPE 10306), they have now managed to agree on a document that will be adopted without debate (under Point A), in which the EU strongly condemns the increasing number of attacks and incidents of religious intolerance in a number of countries against Christians, Muslims and other religions.
Africa. The ministers will examine the broad thrust that the EU is taking in preparing new strategies for the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The strategies will then be sent to Council working groups ahead of a more detailed debate at the Council a later date, probably in May.
Other items. The meeting will also discuss the human rights situation in Iran, Belarus, the future of the job of EU High Representative in the Caucasus and trade talks with Pakistan. (H.B./transl.fl)