EU defense ministers meet on security, defense policy

Defense ministers of the European Union (EU) began an informal meeting in Finland on security issues and the regional bloc's defense policy on Monday.

At the two-day meeting in the Finnish ski resort of Levi, the ministers are to discuss the ongoing EU operations and missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They will also discuss the military capabilities for and the civil-military coordination in crisis management.

On Monday, UN special envoy on the status talks for Kosovo, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, will brief the ministers on the negotiations he was leading on behalf of the United Nations over the future status of Kosovo.

On Tuesday, the European Defense Agency will hold a meeting of its Steering Board at the ministerial level.

Seventeen EU defense ministers attend the meetings. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer are also present.

Source: Xinhua