A VISIT to Athens next week by the Tanaiste, as President of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers, and a probable trip to Iran later this year by the Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, have been added to the already crowded foreign schedule for the next six months.
Mr Spring will visit Athens next week on his way, home from former Yugoslavia in an attempt to unblock the EU's Meda aid programme for Mediterranean countries. It has emerged that the key Bosnian city of Mostar, which is under EU administration, may not now be handed over to a unified local administration on July 22nd as planned. Mr Spring will visit the region next week before a final decision is made.
The Meda programme has been held up by Greece because of its dispute with Turkey, which is one of the beneficiaries. "I will be meeting the Greeks next week in Athens to try to unblock Meda, hopefully before our first [foreign ministers] council on July 15th," Mr Spring said yesterday.
Mr Mitchell is likely to lead a Troika visit to Iran for political and trade talks later in the year. Ireland will also lead the EU in summits with Russia, Japan and the US.