EU leaders today stressed that a second round of Afghanistan's presidential election, scheduled to take place on 7 November, should be “credible, inclusive, secure and reflect the will of the Afghan people”.
A first round in August, which handed an absolute majority to Hamid Karzai, the incumbent, had been tainted by fraud and irregularities, depriving the EU of a credible counterpart in its strategy for increased Afghan ownership of the state-building process.
At the end of their two-day summit in Brussels, EU also endorsed the new action plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday (27 October).
The leaders expressed their “grave concern” over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the recent disclosure of a second uranium enrichment facility. They called on Iran to accept proposals by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under which enrichment activities – which Iran says are entirely for peaceful purposes – would be conducted abroad.
Yesterday (29 October), Iran asked for central elements of the plan to be amended, but it is unclear whether this amounts to a de facto rejection of the IAEA proposals. The EU offered “mutually beneficial co-operation in the political, economic, security and technical fields” as a reward for a constructive attitude by Iran.
The heads of state or government also backed a strategy for the Baltic Sea region, a priority for Sweden, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency. The strategy is seen as a possible model for other regions.
