EU fails to agree religious rights declaration
(BRUSSELS) - The European Union failed Monday to agree on a declaration on religious rights following attacks on Christians in the Middle East, with some states warning it could fuel a "clash of civilisations," diplomats said.
EU ambassadors had approved a draft text calling on EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to come up with "concrete proposals" to boost EU action on freedom of religion.
But foreign ministers meeting in Brussels butted heads over the draft declaration, which "firmly condemns" the "recent violence and acts of terrorism targeting places of worship and pilgrims."
France and Italy opposed the text because it did not explicitly mention the Christian community, diplomats said on condition of anonymity.
Britain and some Nordic countries were uncomfortable with mentioning specific religious communities, however, fearing a "clash of civilisations," one diplomat said.
The ministers finally decided to send the text back to their ambassadors for a rewrite, the sources said.
France, Italy, Hungary and Poland had pushed for a debate on the situation of Christians in the Middle East after 46 people were killed in the bombing of a church in Baghdad in October and an apparent suicide bombing against a church in Alexandria, Egypt in December that left 21 dead.
French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie called on Europe to come up with a coordinated response to attacks earlier this month.