BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- Foreign ministers of the 28-member European Union began in Luxembourg Monday a meeting which will focus on measures to counter the spread of the Ebola virus disease and developments in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said they will be joined for luncheon by Bernadino Leon, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, to discuss his mediation efforts in the deteriorating situation in Libya.
They will also concentrate on the issue of ISIL, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, and what more can be done and how to support the international efforts to deal with this movemnt, said Ashton who is chairing her last meeting of EU foreign ministers before she hands over the post to the current Italian Foreign Minister, Federica Mogherini, in November.
The ministers will also discuss the Middle East peace process after the Cairo meeting on Gaza's donors conference which Ashton said she attended.
She noted that the Middle East Quartet will hold a meeting in Brussels later this month to discuss how to push forward the peace process.
Ashton said that she will inform the ministers about the outcome of the latest round of talks on the Iranian nuclear issue and added that she has been asked to continue talks with the Iranians even after she steps down next month.
On his part, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said, "We are looking to get a concerted approach on responding to the Ebola crisis in West Africa." "On Ebola, we do need this billion euro fund, there is a major health crisis here, we have a very short window to get on top of it and prevent the uncontrollable spread of this disease," he said.
"We also need to keep up the pressure on ISIL in Iraq, on the Assad regime in Syria. We will also be discussing the situation in Libya, Iran and of course the Ukraine-Russia situation," he said.
"The Turks have said they will join as active members of the coalition, how best they make their contribution is a subject that we are discussing and we have to do that in a full awareness of the historical context in which Turkey has complex relations with some of the other players in the region," he said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said "we have a full agenda today, Middle East, the fight against ISIS, the Gaza rebuilding conference." "We are also going to deal today with the question of Ukraine and Russia," he said "What we can see for sure in Kobani is not yet a turning point in the conflict, but a recent reinforcement of the defence capabilities of the Kobani Kurds," he added. (end) nk.rk