The European Union Foreign Affairs Council, during its formal meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, will adopt the 7th round of sanctions on Iran for human rights violations, a senior EU official said Friday. The official, speaking to journalists on condition of anonymity, did not give further details about the sanctions. The Council will also discuss developments in Sudan, Tunisia, Lebanon, the Middle East Peace Process, China, Moldova, and the war in Ukraine. On Sudan, EU foreign ministers will discuss the violent clashes that erupted since April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The EU is closely coordinating its response with regional and international partners to demand an immediate cessation of hostilities, insisting on the need for de-escalation and a humanitarian truce to allow for the protection of civilians, as well as for the full respect of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention by both parties, he noted. On Tunisia, the official said "we are worried about the deteriorating political situation" in the country. The EU will not give any financial assistance to Tunisia till the country signs an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, he stressed. The Council is expected to exchange views on the Middle East Peace Process and the recent escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. On Lebanon, the EU has emphasized the need to elect a President and to reach a program agreement with the IMF. But no progress has been made on either front, noted the official. Moreover, the Council is expected to approve conclusions on Ethiopia and agree on the establishment of a new EU civilian common security and defense policy mission in Moldova. The Council will discuss the Ukraine war, after an exchange of views with Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba via videoconference at the beginning of the meeting. Kuleba is expected to update the Council on the situation on the ground, and Ukraine's current needs and priorities. — Kuna
