Ljubljana  - The prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia met on Tuesday for the first time since Ljubljana blocked Croatia's accession talks with the European Union, but made no progress on the ongoing border dispute.

Slovenian Premier Borut Pahor and his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader gave only brief statements after a one-hour meeting in the Slovenian town of Mokrice.

The row dates back more than 15 years, to 1991 when both Slovenia and Croatia ceded from the then Yugoslavia, and centres on the mutual border at the harbour town of Piran, and with it access rights to the Adriatic Sea.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn had earlier expressed his hopes that the meeting would contribute to the end of a row.

Damascus - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was due in Syria for high-level talks on Tuesday, at the start of a five-day tour of the region.

Over the course of his two-day stay in Damascus, Solana will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah al-Dardari, and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallim.

He will next travel to Lebanon and Egypt on February 25, and to Israel on the following day. He will spend February 27 and 28 in the Palestinian territories, before attending a March 2 summit on reconstructing the Palestinian economy in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt.

Brussels - The European Union flirted with chaos Monday as top diplomats complained about a "cliquey" response to the recession and failed to agree on the use of community funds to aid economic recovery.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after regular talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts.

Brussels  - The European Union flirted with chaos Monday as top diplomats complained about a "cliquey" response to the recession and failed to agree on the use of community funds to aid economic recovery.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after regular talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts.

Brussels - The European Union's unity was left foundering on Monday as six mid-weight member states protested against the growing tendency to hold mini-summits of selected members, just days ahead of a full emergency summit on the economic crisis.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after a regular meeting with EU counterparts.

Berlin  - The European Union's (EU) major economies are hoping to enlist the support of all 27 EU member states as they gear up for a battle to crackdown on tax havens.

The move follows the agreement at the weekend of the EU's seven leading economies to launch action to clamp down on tax havens as part of a push to overhaul the global financial system in the wake of the world economic crisis.