FM in EU-US talks today
Foreign Minister George Papandreou, representing Greece which is currently the EU’s president, is visiting Washington today for talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. Iraq, the Middle East, Korea and the Cyprus problem are on the agenda of the biannual EU-US talks. Papandreou will be accompanied by the EU’s foreign policy and defense chief, Javier Solana, and External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten. The Greek EU presidency had made an improvement in EU-US relations a priority of its term, only to see an unprecedented rift because of differences over Iraq. Addressing Parliament’s Foreign Policy and Defense Committee, Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou said that the Middle East could turn into «a volcano» if war in Iraq lasts a long time. «But,» he added, «no one doubts that Iraq is at fault and constitutes a danger to world security.»
