European Union Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton met leaders of Jordan and Iraq on the first phase of her Middle East tour.
On Sunday in Jordan, she had an audience with Jordan's King Abdullah II, and held talks with
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.
On Monday in Iraq, she met Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Speaker of the Council of
Representatives Usama Nujaifi, Deputy Prime Minister Sharistiani, and Foreign Minister Hoshyar
Zebari, as well as Massoud Barzani, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
On Monday and Tuesday in Lebanon, the High Representative will have discussions with President
Michel Suleiman, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Azmi
Mikati, Prime Minister-designate Tamman Salam and caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.
Together with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, she will visit a community
center in Beirut which is helping out Syrian refugees.
On Tuesday and Wednesday in Egypt, she will meet President Mohammed Morsi, Foreign Minister
Mohammed Amr as well as other senior ministers and opposition leaders. She will also discuss
latest developments in the region with Nabil al-Araby, Secretary General of the League of Arab
States.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the High Representative will have talks with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. She will also meet Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. On Thursday Catherine Ashton
will visit Gaza where she will meet UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi.
The European Council in a press release quoted Ashton as saying that "This is a very timely visit to the region, coming against the backdrop of US efforts to restart Middle East peace talks." She said she will "explore the possibility to further support these efforts and for the Israelis and Palestinians to re-engage in efforts towards a negotiated solution. I look forward to discussing how the European Union can continue to help the transition in Egypt. The visit will also give me the chance to underline the EU's increased support for the all those affected by the fighting in Syria. I pay tribute to all neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees. I will also pass on our concern at the recent violence in Iraq and our desire to help Iraq get its transition back on track."
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