DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

Chinese leaders were told on Wednesday that the EU is prepared to lift a 15-year old arms embargo, but is not yet ready to do so, hinting a deal could come early next year. The message was delivered during an EU-China summit in The Hague when EU representatives met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. "We are working assiduously but... the time is not right to lift the embargo," said Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, current head of the Council. There is broad agreement among EU members for lifting the embargo, but concerns over human rights and US opposition are delaying the move. The US is keen not to see hi-tech European weapons in Chinese hands, although Chinese officials say that lifting the embargo is of political rather than military significance. The EU is also looking for China to speed up the ratification of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political rights. China is keen to emphasize that it now a responsible player on the world stage and views the ban as anachronistic. (EUObserver.com)