ANKARA (AFP)--Turkey's military command has accused some EU countries, in particular France and the UK, of acting in a way that supports Kurdish militants, NTV reported on Tuesday.

European and African leaders have opened their first summit in seven years in Lisbon, with calls to forge a new relationship between the continents.

YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The European Commission has just committed more than 1,4 billion euros from its 2007 Budget for assistance to 17 countries along the Eastern and Southern border of the EU, the Delegation of the European Commission to Armenia said today in a press release.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili says he had good discussions Friday with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, but Solana says he was disappointed by the talks.

At a trade summit between India and the European Union, officials have called for a comprehensive economic agreement to be in place during 2008. As VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi, however, there are doubts that a trade pact can come that quickly and in one piece.

Chinese officials say they are reducing energy use and major pollutant emissions, but are struggling to reach their own targets. Some help is coming, however: the European Union is loaning China more than $700 million for projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Leaders of China and the European Union are to open a summit Wednesday in Beijing. The EU's growing trade deficit with China and the safety of Chinese imports are issues that are likely to dominate the talks.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has confirmed he will not attend next month's European Union-Africa summit if Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is there.

Cyprus and Malta are ready to introduce the euro on Jan. 1, which will bring to 15 the number of nations sharing the currency the European Union announced Tuesday.

A recent European Commission report says limits on free speech are undermining Turkey's chances of becoming a full member of the European Union. The report says that Turkey also needs to reform its judiciary, fight corruption and strip the military of its political powers.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator says he will hold talks with the European Union foreign policy chief on November 30 over the country's atomic work, which the West fears is a cover to build an atomic bomb.

A referendum on whether to adopt the euro and drop other exemptions to European Union cooperation will be held in Denmark, the premier said Thursday.