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EU meeting to discuss Iran crisis EU ministers back UK in Iran spat
(about 9 hours later)
European Union foreign ministers are gathering in the German port of Bremen and are expected to express support for 15 British sailors detained in Iran. EU foreign ministers are closing ranks behind the UK in its row with Iran over 15 captive British sailors and marines.
Hours after the UN Security Council voiced grave concern over the sailors, the ministers are likely to issue a call for their immediate release. "We intend to send out a message of solidarity," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at an EU meeting in Bremen.
One German diplomat said there had to be a signal that "enough is enough". The German port city is hosting the ministers, as Germany currently holds the European Union presidency.
The ministers at the informal meeting, held twice yearly, are also expected to discuss the Middle East and Kosovo. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the UK crew should be freed immediately, without any preconditions.
Police force Mr Steinmeier held a separate meeting on Iran with the European members of the UN Security Council - Britain, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Italy - to agree on a common line.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU presidency, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the European Parliament have all condemned the detentions of the sailors in the strongest terms. 'Unacceptable act'
The foreign minister of Turkey, whose country is trying to intervene on the sailors' behalf, has also been invited to the meeting in Bremen. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy described Iran's detention of the Royal Navy crew as "a very serious and unacceptable act which we immediately condemned".
However, there is concern that the row can only complicate the EU's longstanding efforts to persuade Iran to reach a deal over its nuclear programme. "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the British," he added.
As is customary at these meetings, no formal decisions will be taken in Bremen. But the EU may not be willing to go beyond verbal support at this time, and neither did the UK Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, explicitly ask for a suspension of EU business ties with Tehran, the BBC's Oana Lungescu reports.
Instead, the foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries will discuss issues set to dominate their agenda for a long time to come. France and other big European countries, including Germany and Italy, have important economic interests in Iran and would be reluctant to heed such calls, our reporter says.
They will include how to deal with the new Palestinian national unity government and how to help Kosovo after the UN determines the final status of the province. The European external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, warned that the EU had to be careful at a very delicate moment in relations with Iran.
A paper prepared for the meeting says an EU police mission - the largest of its kind ever set up by the bloc - could be in place in Kosovo for at least two years and the international community will need to raise $2bn (£1bn) to prop up the province's fragile economy. Europe should make clear where it stood, she said, but also hold the door open to negotiations on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council voiced grave concern over the sailors and marines.
The foreign minister of Turkey, whose country is trying to intervene on the UK sailors' behalf, was also invited to the meeting in Bremen.
The ministers also discussed the Middle East and Kosovo.
A paper prepared for the meeting says an EU police mission - the largest of its kind set up by the bloc - could be in place in Kosovo for at least two years and the international community will need to raise $2bn (£1bn) to prop up the province's fragile economy.