Brussels  - European Union leaders were close to clinching a deal on the use of 5 billion euros (6.9 billion dollars) in community funds to stimulate the economy after Germany received assurances that the money would be spent by the end of 2010, sources close to the talks said Thursday.

A compromise text by the EU's Czech presidency, seen by Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, states that "due to the urgent need for the stimulus, all legal commitments implementing the budgetary commitments ... should be made before the end of 2010."

Brussels - The European Union was doing all it could to combat its worst recession in 60 years, the bloc's leaders said as they met in Brussels to discuss the global economy and reforms of the international financial markets.

"All member states have adopted important stimulus programmes," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is seen as one of the strongest opponents to any further increases in the bloc's 400-billion-euro (540-billion-dollar) economic recovery package.

Brussels - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday threatened to scupper plans to use European Union funds to stimulate the economy, insisting the money should only be used to finance projects capable of delivering immediate results.

"Any additional measures should only be taken if a substantial part of these measures can be implemented very quickly. Otherwise, they would not help tackle the crisis," Merkel said as she arrived for an EU summit in Brussels.

Damascus - A delegation of Damascus-based politicians from the radical Hamas group is planning a European tour, a senior Hamas leader said Wednesday, in a further sign of shifting European attitudes towards the group.

Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas politician based in Damascus, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that several European countries had extended invitations to the group, and that the delegation planned to accept them.

Baraka declined to name the countries or the exact dates of the visit, "for fear Israel would erect obstacles to prevent their happening."

Brussels  - European Union leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to forge a common position on how to better regulate the international financial markets, whose persisting crisis is feeding into the bloc's rapidly-deteriorating economic outlook.

The spring council meeting in Brussels is seen as a key stepping stone towards London's Group of 20 summit on April 2, which will be called on to overhaul the global financial sector and avoid future credit crunches.

New York  - The UN Security Council on Tuesday praised the European Union for a well-done mission in the region between Chad and the Central African Republic, where an estimated 500,000 refugees need protection and aid.

The EU mission ended its one-year mission on Sunday and was replaced by UN peacekeeping operation composed of 5,200 military troops, drawn mostly from the departing EU military components.