国际英语新闻：EU leaders agree on anti-crisis package, energy scheme, Egypt position

The surge of anti-government demonstrations in Egypt unsurprisingly forced itself onto the top agenda of the one-day informal summit, as EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among other heavyweight EU leaders, both addressed the situation in Egypt upon their arrivals for the summit. Ashton was also scheduled to visit Egypt and Tunisia soon.

The leaders later issued a declaration on Egypt and the region in the afternoon, urging Egyptian authorities to begin an orderly transition to a broad based government.

"The citizens' democratic aspirations should be addressed through dialogue and political reform with full respect to human rights and fundamental freedoms, and through free and fair elections," the declaration said.

Egyptian anti-government protesters gathered Friday demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak despite Vice President Omar Suleiman's struggle to open dialogues with opposition parties. Clashes between Mubarak supporters and protesters killed at least three people and wounded some 600 on Wednesday.

"The European Council condemned in the strongest terms the violence and all those who use and encourage violence... The European Council called on the Egyptian authorities to meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people with political reform not repression," the declaration said.

The EU called on all parties in Egypt to engage in a meaningful dialogue, adding that it was determined to lend its full support to the transition processes towards democratic governance, pluralism, improved opportunities for economic prosperity and social inclusion, and strengthened regional stability.