NATO foreign ministers convened today for their first meeting with Mr Colin Powell since he became US Secretary of State.
Mr Powell, spending the day in Brussels after a weekend in the Middle East trying to breath new life in the Arab-Israeli peace process, was also to see top EU officials before flying on to Washington.
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"I called this meeting today to take advantage of Secretary Powell's first visit to Europe as Secretary of State," NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson said as the meeting got under way.
"I believe it is an excellent opportunity to exchange views on the full transatlantic agenda with the new US administration," Lord Robertson said.
Mr Javier Solana, the former NATO secretary general, is the European Union's high representative for foreign and security policy at the meeting.
Besides the North Atlantic Council meeting, Mr Powell was to hold three-way talks with British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine.
They were likely to discuss the future of international sanctions against Iraq.
AFP