Middle East crisis top-of-mind at first EU-Gulf summit

Gulf leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with EU counterparts in Brussels on Wednesday for talks they hoped could help defuse an "extremely dangerous escalation" in the Middle East.

The 27-nation European Union is seeking to work more closely with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—over conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

"Our shared priority is an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, the release of hostages, and full humanitarian access to civilians in Gaza," the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told a press conference.

The two groups called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and condemned attacks on U.N. troops in the country, he added.

The first gathering of its kind, the EU-GCC summit, came on the eve of an EU leaders' meeting in the Belgian capital.

Trade, energy, and climate change were all discussed, but Israel's conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon dominated the agenda.

"We need a settlement for these conflicts," said Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

"We hope that this first summit will be the first step to consolidate our historic ties between the GCC and the EU."

He was echoed by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who told the gathering: "We need to do all in our power and mobilize all our diplomatic skills to stop the extremely dangerous escalation."

 'Unprecedented opportunity' 

The EU is the second-largest trading partner for GCC countries, and Borrell said the summit agreed to speed up negotiations on a free trade agreement that have languished for years.

Gulf countries' push to obtain a visa waiver for their citizens to enter the Schengen free movement area...