US State Secretary Colin Powell held talks with foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) on the situation in Iraq in Brussels Tuesday, stressing the importance of speeding up the process of power transfer.  

At a joint press conference held after their talks, Powell admitted that the situation in Iraq is deteriorating recently, but he noted that measures are being taken to bring the situation under control.

During the talks, they discussed the important role of Iraqi elections and constitution making, as well as the role of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy in Iraq reconstruction.

Powell reiterated the importance of cooperating with the EU on key world issues. "By working together we can succeed and succeed we must," he said.

They also discussed Iran's nuclear issue, the Middle East peace process, the EU's defense capability building and bilateral relationship.

Powell promised to try to solve the issue of Europeans held by the US army in military bases in Cuba. The talks produced a better mutual understanding on the matter and it would help resolve the problem, he added.

Powell arrived here Tuesday morning for a one-day visit, hoping to shore up EU support for Washington's new policy towards Iraq.

The EU foreign ministers are having a routine two-day meeting which addressed such issues as constitution drafting, EU foreign policy and integration matters.

(Xinhua News Agency November 19, 2003)