The Foreign Ministers of the 27 EU Member States meet today in Luxembourg for the monthly General Affairs and External Relations Council.
One important issue which will be discussed during the consultations is the EU strategy on Central Asia. The EU has set itself the goal of placing relations with Central Asia on a new and coherent footing. The German EU Presidency intends to conclude consultations on this strategy by June.
The Foreign Ministers will also discuss at length the situation in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. The UN Special Envoy, Sweden's Jan Eliasson, will take part in the discussion. There will be an exchange of views on the negotiations concerning Iran's nuclear programme, as well as on the current situation in the Middle East and the progress made in the peace process.
Finally, the Ministers will make further headway with the necessary preparations for the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh on 8 May and for the EU-US summit in Washington on 30 April.
In the margins of the regular Council, third country meetings will be held with Russia, western Africa, Algeria and Lebanon.
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