BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Big powers hope soon to agree
with Iran to hold a new round of nuclear talks in another bid to
resolve a protracted dispute over Tehran’s atomic programme and
avert the increasing threat of a downward spiral into Middle
East war.

Iran is seen by the six powers to be covertly trying to
develop the means to produce nuclear weapons. They want to rein
in the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment programme, to
ensure it is geared only for civilian energy as Iran maintains
it is, through a mix of diplomacy and economic sanctions.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union sharply criticized Israel on Monday over its plans to build settlements in a highly sensitive part of the West Bank, and rebuked Hamas Islamists for questioning Israel’s right to exist.

“The EU is deeply dismayed by and strongly opposes Israeli plans to expand settlements,” foreign ministers of the 27 EU states said in a statement after meeting in Brussels.

BRUSSELS, Dec 10 (Reuters) – EU foreign ministers, meeting
the leader of the Syrian opposition on Monday, moved towards
full recognition of a new coalition ahead of a diplomatic
gathering aimed at bolstering aid for rebels fighting President
Bashar al-Assad.

In part because of concerns about the presence of radical
Islamists among the rebels, the European Union did not offer
full recognition to the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), as
Britain and France have. The bloc also has called on the
grouping to become more inclusive.

JERUSALEM/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Israel moved ahead with plans to build 3,000 settler homes in one of the most sensitive areas of the West Bank, as the European Union summoned Israel’s envoy to add its voice to a storm of international protest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday the global condemnation, some of it from the Jewish state’s closest traditional allies, would not deter it from defending its “vital interests”.

BRUSSELS/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rebels said on Wednesday they had surrounded an air base near Damascus, a fresh sign of battle closing in the capital a day after NATO drew a line in the sand by agreeing to send air defense missiles to Turkey.

The Western military alliance’s decision to send U.S., German and Dutch Patriot missile batteries to help defend the Turkish border would bring European and U.S. troops to Syria’s frontier for the first time in the 20 month civil war.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union states struggled to agree on Tuesday on a common response to Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, highlighting the divisions within the bloc over how to tackle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

At a meeting in Brussels, ambassadors responsible for security issues discussed the possibility of all 27 EU states writing to Tel Aviv to express their displeasure or calling in Israeli ambassadors for consultations, as five EU countries have already done.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO agreed on Tuesday to send Patriot missiles to Turkey to defend against a possible Syrian missile attack and voiced grave concern about reports that Damascus may be preparing to use chemical weapons.

“To the Turkish people we say: We are determined to defend you and your territory. To anyone who would want to attack Turkey we say: Don’t even think about it,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after the 28-nation alliance foreign ministers took the decision at a meeting in Brussels.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Six world powers agreed on Wednesday to seek renewed talks with Iran as fast as possible, reflecting a heightened sense of urgency to resolve a long rift over Tehran’s disputed nuclear activity and avert the threat of war.

Their call coincided with growing evidence of Iran expanding nuclear capacity in an underground bunker virtually impervious to attack and follows the November 6 re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama, which has cleared the way for new contacts.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Officials from six world powers meet in Brussels on Wednesday to plan for a possible new round of talks with Iran, the latest effort to resolve a decade-long stand-off over its nuclear program and avert the threat of a military conflict.

The re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama this month has cleared the way for new talks and Western diplomats are eager to start soon as signs grow that Iran is still building up its nuclear capacity.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union governments called on Israel and Hamas on Monday to agree a “rapid” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and said they supported Egyptian efforts to mediate.

Mediators from Cairo said a truce could be close after days of Israeli air strikes on Gaza and rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled territory. But fighting continued on Monday, with Israel hitting dozens of targets in the enclave.