By CCTV correspondent Jack Barton

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Having overshadowed discussions at the G20, Syria is now expected to dominate a meeting of EU defense and foreign affairs officials, now being held in Lithuania. U.S. secretary of State John Kerry is there, hoping to persuade officials to back the U.S. on military strikes. But so far, concrete support for action has been lacking on the European continent.

What to do about Syria? That’s the question overshadowing a meeting of EU defense and foreign affairs officials who have gathered in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

"There is agreement that chemical weapons have been used and it was clearly condemned by everyone, and that's all I can say for the moment," said Maciej Popowski, deputy secretary-general of European External Action Service.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will join the meeting on Saturday. His attendance comes as U.S. President Barack Obama continues to try to drum up support at home and abroad for a military strike against Syria. A message echoed at the meeting on Friday by the head of NATO:

"I urge the international community to overcome these divisions over Syria. I think the international community has a responsibility to uphold and enforce the international ban against the use of chemical weapons," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

The rejection by Britain’s parliament of UK military involvement in any potential strike has seen many European countries shy away from intervention in Syria. France is the only major EU power still committed to military action, but even there public opinion polls show the French are overwhelmingly opposed to military strikes.

Officials will also discuss the latest developments in Egypt as well the Middle East Peace Process, but it is Syria that has clearly overshadowed the agenda at the meeting, which wraps up on Saturday.

(Source: CNTV.cn)