EU Summit Focus Shifts from Economy to Middle East Conflict

JAKARTA - The impact of the US and Israeli invasion of Iran will be the main concern at this week's European Union (EU) summit, shifting the focus from the bloc's stagnant economic conditions, the Financial Times newspaper reported, citing a senior European official.

"This is no longer a summit on long-term structural economic changes ... We are holding an emergency summit on the Iranian crisis," a European official was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, March 19.

The long-planned summit was previously aimed at formulating measures to revive the stagnant EU economy, according to the report.

Disagreements within the EU's foreign policy are reported to be worsening, citing an unnamed foreign minister of a member state.

"Every new geopolitical crisis is slightly breaking us apart... and it is becoming clearer that we cannot act as one united bloc," the minister said.

On February 28, the US and Israel launched attacks on a number of targets in Iran, including in Tehran, which caused damage and civilian casualties. Iran responded by attacking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East as a form of self-defense.

The US and Israel initially said the invasion was necessary to counter a perceived threat from Iran's nuclear program, but later insisted they wanted regime change in Iran.