Washington, 28/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - The EU Troïka formed of George Papandreou, Javier Solana and Chris Patten met Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice in Washington on Thursday to discuss the Iraqi crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as the matter of Cyprus and the worsening crisis in North Korea. The EU and the US both insisted on rapid implementation of the Quartet's roadmap on a settlement to the Middle East problem and the establishment of a Palestinian State.
On the subject of Iraq, both parties stressed that the common objective was to disarm Iraq, but Mr Powell admitted to the press that opinions differed "with some of our European friends". Europeans and Americans also discussed eventual humanitarian aid needed in Iraq. Council President Georges Papandreou told the press that he had spoken of his trip to Egypt in the next few days to attend the Arab Summit, and he repeated that the war in Iraq was not inevitable.
On the subject of Cyprus, the EU and the United States restated their support for the effort being made by Kofi Annan. Leaving Cyprus on Friday, Kofi Annan warned that a settlement would not be likely soon, if ever it comes up again.