German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed his EU counterparts Friday in Bremen for a two-day informal meeting focusing on Iran, Kosovo and the Middle East.
　　
The 27 EU foreign ministers would hear a report by High Representative Javier Solana on the Arab League meeting and discuss the current situation in the Middle East.
　　
"We want to encourage regional efforts towards progress in Israeli-Palestinian relations, and we will continue our commitment, " Steinmeier said at the opening of the meeting.
　　
The future status of Kosovo was another topic the ministers would discuss, now that the proposal on the matter drawn up by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari has been submitted to the UN Security Council, said Steinmeier, whose country is holding the rotating EU presidency.
　　
The task now was to work towards a Security Council decision, within a reasonable period of time, which guaranteed security and stability in the Balkans, he added.
　　
They would talk about Iran's nuclear program and issue a joint appeal to urge Tehran to release the 15 British sailors it seized last Friday.
　　
"It is clear that this meeting will also send a signal of solidarity," Steinmeier said.
　　
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett would brief her colleagues about current developments in this case.
　　
Steinmeier invited the European members of the UN Security Council, Britain, France, Slovakia, Italy and Belgium to preliminary talks on Kosovo and Iran as they are concerning the Security Council.
　　
"Our aim is to agree on a common position on these issues," Steinmeier said.