Middle East 'conflagration' to top agenda at first EU-Gulf summit

When Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) shook hands at the press conference after the Western Balkans summit in the Chancellery Berlin on October 14, 2024. [AFP] Avoiding a "general conflagration" in the Middle East will be top of the agenda when European Union and Gulf leaders meet in Brussels this week, European officials said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is among heads of state and government from six Gulf countries expected to attend the first summit with their EU counterparts on Wednesday. Trade, energy and climate change are among the issues on the table in the Belgian capital. But Israel's conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, and the risk of a broader regional war, are expected to be "the main topic", EU officials said. "One of the objectives is to avoid a general conflagration," one official said. "Both sides are worried about this." The 27-nation EU is seeking to foster closer ties with countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which brings together Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The EU is the second-largest trading partner for GCC countries but talks on a trade pact have languished for years and differences also remain on other subjects, including the war in Ukraine. "We see much more eye-to-eye on the Middle East," another official said. 'Same concerns' The talks come amid escalating Israeli attacks it says are targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. "We share the same concerns about peace and security in the whole region," EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said ahead of a working dinner with GCC foreign ministers on Tuesday. Hezbollah had been exchanging cross-border fire with Israel for almost a year, saying it is acting in response to Israel's devastating ground and air assault on Gaza. The war in Gaza began after the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack from the territory into Israel on October 7, 2023. The near-daily exchange of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people on both sides even before the dramatic escalation last month, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crush Hezbollah. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Borrell will participate in the EU-GCC meeting, along with the heads of the EU's 27 nations, ahead of a European Union leaders' summit on Thursday. The EU did not say which GCC leaders would travel to Brussels but officials from the bloc said the Gulf countries would be represented by their heads of state or government. The official Saudi Press Agency later confirmed that Prince Mohammed would attend. The EU has called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza. Traditionally Western allies, the resource-rich Gulf monarchies have grown closer to Iran, which backs Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. They have repeatedly called for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, with some playing a key role in negotiations to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. "We are ready to act more and more together in facing common challenges," Borrell said of the EU and GCC countries.

Middle East 'conflagration' to top agenda at first EU-Gulf summit

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