PARIS, Jan 28 (Saba) -- French officials said here on Friday that next Mondays meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers in Brussels will tackle a number of important Middle East and Arab issues, Kuwait News Agency has reported.

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie went on a hectic, four-day tour of Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Gaza, Jordan and Egypt and held talks with leading officials in all destinations from January 19-23.

"The Minister will ... inform her partners about the trip she made to the Middle East ten days ago," the French Foreign Ministry indicated.

Alliot-Marie took a clear message to the region concerning the stalled peace process and she urged a resumption of dialogue.

She reiterated the French and, indeed, EU position that a resolution of the conflict must be based on a two-State solution, within the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as a capital of both Israel and the Palestinian State, with open access to all faiths. She also insisted the refugee problem must be resolved satisfactorily and, she repeated Frances objection to illegal Israeli settlement-building.

Apart from the Middle East peace process, the 27 EU Ministers are also set to discuss Lebanon and they will adopt "conclusions" on this issue in view of the appointment of a new prime minister, Najib Mitaki.
At the request of France, in particular, there will also be a discussion of the Sahel region and the problem of terrorism and hostage-taking. Three French nationals have died in hostage incidents or have been murdered in the last eight months in the Sahel and five more French nationals are being held hostage there by a group claiming to be Al-Qaeda for an Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The EU Council is expected to adopt "conclusions" on the Sahel and take similar steps for policy after a discussion devoted to Sudan in the aftermath of the referendum for self-determination in south Sudan.
Tunisia is also on the agenda, the French source said, noting that the EU should agree to block assets belonging to members of the ousted regime of Zine El-Abedine Ben Ali and his wife.

A discussion, with "conclusions," will also take place on measures the EU can adopt - financial, administrative and other - to help Tunisia at this time.


Saba