Geneva/Brussels - Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief, said Tuesday he expected Iran to reply this week to an international plan aimed at reducing Tehran's uranium stockpiles and easing the path towards further negotiations.

Regarding the next round of talks between the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany with Iran, Solana implied that the end-of-the-month deadline announced at the previous negotiation session in Geneva was flexible.

Geneva  - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Thursday said Iran had reiterated its willingess to open its recently revealed nuclear site to international inspectors, giving an upbeat assessment of the world powers' talks with Iran in Geneva.

There was also partial progress in the efforts by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - as well as Germany in discussing with Iran the possibility of enriching its uranium outside of the country.

Cairo - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak on Wednesday to discuss getting the Middle East peace process going again.

The talks centered on moves before the new session of the General Assembly of the United Nations convenes, Solana told reporters after his meeting with Mubarak.

"We must all coordinate and work in a collaborative way as much as possible. I do not want to say whether I'm optimistic or pessimistic about the chances of success in achieving the desired progress at this time," said Solana.

Ramallah  - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Monday night that Europe supports Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's vision of an independent Palestinian state that could be established within two years.

Speaking at a news conference after an hour-long meeting with Fayyad in Ramallah, Solana said that "we support the Fayyad plan. It is very good and it shows the fact that the Palestinian government is functioning."

Jerusalem - A deal over a total halt to Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank could be finalized by the start of the United Nations General Assembly in mid-September, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Monday.

"The positions are getting closer," he told reporters in Jerusalem, adding that he hoped "to arrive at one agreement sufficiently constructive" for a meeting between Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Damascus  - EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana arrived on Sunday in Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar al Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al Muallim to discuss means to resume the peace process in the region.

The visit is the first leg in a four-day tour of the region that will also take Solana to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Egypt.

Following his meetings in Damascus, Solana is expected to hold a joint conference before he departs later Sunday for Israel.  dpa

Brussels  - Javier Solana, the European Union's chief diplomat, wants Thursday's vote in Afghanistan to lead to the formation of a government that can "bring the country forward".

US President Barack Obama hopes it will herald a new "phase in Afghanistan", one in which foreign security forces are no longer needed.

Since 2001, the West has invested billions of dollars, and has sacrificed more than 1,300 of its young men and women, to help Afghanistan become a functioning state.

Now, its patience is running thin.

Brussels - Norway is to send two frigates to join the European Union's anti-piracy mission in Somalia, and Croatia is also set to send ships, the EU's top diplomat said Monday.

The two countries' decision is an "important addition" to EU Operation Atalanta, EU High Representative Javier Solana said after talks with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

At the meeting, ministers debated the ongoing conflict in Somalia between government forces and rebels, condemning recent attacks on the government and on UN offices.

Belgrade  - The European Union's top diplomat Javier Solana arrived in Belgrade Monday, kicking off a four-capital tour of former Yugoslavia to discuss their countries' troubled EU membership bids.

Solana is expected to press Serbian officials for the arrest of the remaining two fugitive war crime suspects wanted by the UN tribunal in The Hague, which is a condition Belgrade must meet to unblock its accession process.

The EU has signed a stabilization and association agreement with Serbia - a crucial step of a country toward membership - in 2008, but immediately suspended it over Belgrade's reluctance to bring war criminals to justice.

Brussels - A struggle for succession is now officially under way after Spain's Javier Solana Madariaga, the European Union's foreign policy chief for the past 10 years, announced in an interview published Sunday that "I don't want to continue."

The EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, as Solana is formally known, said he would not seek another term in office when the current one expires in October. He turns 67 later this month.

Beirut - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived late Friday in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials, during which he will discuss the latest post-election developments with the various Lebanese parties.

"I am happy to be in Lebanon, and I am performing an analysis of the latest developments with all the officials of your country, especially the new phase that kicked off after the elections," Solana said after meeting with Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun.

Jerusalem/Ramallah - The European Union's top diplomat Javier Solana said Thursday in Jerusalem he expects to hear a commitment to the "two-state solution" in an upcoming speech that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to give in Tel Aviv.

"I expect the commitment of the Israeli government to the two-state solution in the question regarding the Israeli settlements in the occupied West-Bank", Solana said.

Brussels - US President Barack Obama's offer of direct talks with Iran is a "very good" one and deserves an "intelligent" response, the man who heads international negotiations over Iran's controversial nuclear programme said Friday.

Ramallah - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in Ramallah Saturday that any government in Israel should continue to honour commitments made by previous governments.

After meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Solana told reporters that the international community would deal with the next Israeli government "according to its programme and platform."

Beirut/Damascus - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Wednesday that he hoped Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections will be held in "a tension-free" environment.

He was speaking in Beirut as part of a week-long trip to the Middle East, and shortly before a UN Special Tribunal in the Hague is due to try alleged suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

He later flew on to Cairo, where he was due Thursday to have talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and other leading officials.

Beirut/Damascus - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Wednesday that he hoped Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections will be held in "a tension-free" environment.

He was speaking in Beirut as part of a week-long trip to the Middle East, and shortly before a UN Special Tribunal in the Hague is due to try alleged suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Damascus  - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived in Damascus for high-level talks on Tuesday afternoon, at the start of a week-long tour of the region.

Over the course of his two-day stay in Damascus, Solana will meet Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah al-Dardari on Tuesday evening, followed by a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallim on Wednesday.

Brussels  - The European Union's top diplomat is set to pay his first visit to Belarus on Thursday in a further sign of the thaw in relations between Brussels and Minsk, EU officials confirmed.

Javier Solana is to hold talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov before meeting opposition figures including former presidential candidate Alexander Milinkevich, a statement from Solana's office said.

Cairo  - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived in Cairo on Monday night for talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Solana's visit to the region is "part of the European Union's efforts to consolidate a lasting ceasefire, facilitate humanitarian relief for the victims in Gaza and re-launch the peace process," Solana's office said in a statement.

Brussels - European Union warships will be allowed to shoot at pirates caught hijacking commercial vessels off the coast of Somalia, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Monday.

Solana was speaking after EU foreign ministers in Brussels formally endorsed the bloc's "Atalanta" mission, which starts Tuesday.