EU, US leaders to discuss Iran, Palestine, Arab Spring

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- European Union (EU) leaders Friday expressed optimism that next week's summit meeting with US leaders in Washington will boost transatlantic cooperation to deal with the global economic and political crises.
"Together, we will look for ways to use our very strong economic ties for creating growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic," said the President of the EU Council Herman Van Rompuy in a statement.
He noted that in addition to discussions on the economy, the summit will also take time to touch upon some of the current international issues where the EU and US cooperation has been intense.
"We will in this regard discuss the Middle East, North Africa and the EU's eastern neighbourhood," he said.
The EU-US Summit will take place in Washington DC on Monday. The 27-member European bloc will be represented by Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht will also attend.
The United States will be represented by President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other representatives of the US administration.
On his part, Barroso said "I look forward to discuss with President Obama how to face today's challenges in a concerted manner." "But today's globalised world is not just about economy but also about values and standards. In this sense we will also be discussing how to increase our international cooperation and build stronger and fairer rules based system, " he added in a statement.
The main focus of the summit will be the global economic situation. Leaders are expected to discuss the EU and US responses to the crisis and how to support growth and job creation, said an EU statement.
They will also debate on global challenges such as climate change, energy and development cooperation.
A range of foreign policy issues, including the Arab Spring, Iran, Syria, the Middle East Peace Process and Afghanistan, as well as the EU's Eastern neighbourhood will also be addressed.
An EU-US Energy Council will take place on Monday, whereas the Transatlantic Economic Council and the EU-US Development Dialogue are scheduled for Tuesday. (end)

EU, US leaders to discuss Iran, Palestine, Arab Spring