Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski (pictured right) is holding a meeting in Brussels today with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Catherine Ashton, when Poland’s forthcoming presidency of the European Union is to be top the agenda.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry has said that Poland is expecting that Baroness Ashton will outline concrete proposals as to how Poland and Mr Sikorski personally can help her in conducting the bloc’s foreign policy in the second half of the year.

Minister Sikorski, at the London Libya summit yesterday, said that Poland will join a programme of humanitarian assistance to Libya and will advise Libyan society in the process of building a modern, democratic state.

He made the commitment at the London conference on Libya, which, in his view, demonstrated the determination of the international community to protect the civilian population in Libya, in line with the resolution of the UN Security Council.

In an interview for the Polish Press Agency (PAP) Mr Sikorski admitted that the conflict in Libya has diverted the attention from the priorities of the Polish presidency in the European Union, starting on 1 July.

The agenda for the six-month presidency, currently held by Hungary, was to focus on the EU’s Eastern Partnership.

“I have always claimed that the priorities that we have outlined are of a preliminary character. We have to have the ways and means to cope with new situations as they arise,” Sikorski told journalists.

At the summit yesterday in London, chairman, the UK’s foreign secretary William Hague said: “Participants reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya.”

The summit, which brought together foreign ministers from 40 countries, was split on how to end a potential stalemate between the regime in Tripoli and the rebels.

Italy and some African countries appeared to favour providing Gaddafi an exit route of some kind. Others say that would exclude the possibility of taking action against him at the International Criminal Court on possible war crimes. (mk/pg)