Damascus - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was due in Syria for high-level talks on Tuesday, at the start of a five-day tour of the region.

Over the course of his two-day stay in Damascus, Solana will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah al-Dardari, and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallim.

He will next travel to Lebanon and Egypt on February 25, and to Israel on the following day. He will spend February 27 and 28 in the Palestinian territories, before attending a March 2 summit on reconstructing the Palestinian economy in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt.

Brussels - The European Union flirted with chaos Monday as top diplomats complained about a "cliquey" response to the recession and failed to agree on the use of community funds to aid economic recovery.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after regular talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts.

Brussels  - The European Union flirted with chaos Monday as top diplomats complained about a "cliquey" response to the recession and failed to agree on the use of community funds to aid economic recovery.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after regular talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts.

Brussels - The European Union's unity was left foundering on Monday as six mid-weight member states protested against the growing tendency to hold mini-summits of selected members, just days ahead of a full emergency summit on the economic crisis.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after a regular meeting with EU counterparts.

Berlin  - The European Union's (EU) major economies are hoping to enlist the support of all 27 EU member states as they gear up for a battle to crackdown on tax havens.

The move follows the agreement at the weekend of the EU's seven leading economies to launch action to clamp down on tax havens as part of a push to overhaul the global financial system in the wake of the world economic crisis.

Brussels  - Finland is to double the number of its troops in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan to some 200 in time for elections on August 20, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said Monday as European Union colleagues discussed a police-training mission there.

"We will double our presence from about 100 to 200 for the elections, and in that sense I hope that we have responded to the requests (for more troops) that have come from the United States," Stubb told journalists in Brussels.

At the regular meeting, EU foreign ministers were set to discuss the 27-member bloc's role in stabilizing Afghanistan at a time when the new US government has called on European members of NATO to boost their commitments in the country.