Iran and Kosovo top the Foreign Affairs Council’s agenda

The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council and General Affairs Council convened in Brussels on Monday, 26 July. These were the last Councils of Ministers meetings before the summer break, and the agenda items generating the most discussion and debate on the day were the EU’s Iran sanctions and the Western Balkans. Finland was represented at the Councils by Permanent Representative Jan Store.

There was lively exchange among Member States regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, which has been on the Foreign Affairs Council’s agenda before. The EU has expressed the hope that Iran will use its programme for peaceful purposes only, but Iran has shown no signs of compromise. The EU supports the resolution adopted earlier by the UN Security Council on Iran sanctions, but the June 2010 European Council had pushed for the adoption of further sanctions. Indeed on Monday, new EU restrictions were announced that target financial services, trade, energy and transport. In addition, visa bans will be imposed on certain individuals.

Despite this package of sanctions the EU will continue its diplomatic efforts to get back to the negotiating table. Permanent Representative to the European Union, Ambassador Jan Store said at a press briefing in Brussels that the EU’s High Representative Catherine Ashton was also planning a meeting in the autumn with Iran’s chief negotiator, Saeed Jalili.

Kosovo and Serbia – two European states

Both High Representative Ashton and the Member States welcomed the ruling last week by the International Court of Justice regarding the legality of Kosovo’s independence, saying that the matter has now been resolved and that attentions can be turned to the future. Ashton received wide support when she said that EU aid will be made available to both Kosovo and Serbia and that both parties should view the ruling in a positive light.

There are five EU countries that have not yet recognized Kosovo, but according to Store some very constructive comments were heard from the ranks of those countries. “The EU must continue to remain active and show a positive attitude to development in the Western Balkans. We hope that both these countries will become full-fledged European states,” Store said at the press briefing.

The Council also discussed the presence of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The political situation in the country is a cause of some concern for the EU. The approaching elections may fuel an escalation of simmering tensions, but the EU hopes that the elections will proceed smoothly in a spirit of cooperation.

Another issue discussed at the meeting concerned the 2011 referendum on South Sudan’s possible independence. The Council stressed the importance of EU support to Sudan as it prepared for the referendum.

With respect to the Middle East, strong EU support was expressed for advancing the negotiation process.

The FAC meeting was preceded by the General Affairs Council meeting. In addition to hearing a presentation of the programme for the Belgian Presidency, the meeting took a unanimous decision on the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) as well as on practical arrangements for the accession negotiations with Iceland starting on Tuesday.

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