EU leaders quarrel over role of God in constitution

Italy, Poland and five other countries made a final plea at a European Union summit yesterday for a reference to Europe's Christian roots in a draft European Union constitution but secular France held firm.

"We have stressed that the Christian roots are for us an essential element of the treaty," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told reporters.

Staunchly Roman Catholic Poland, homeland of Pope John Paul, urged France to drop its objections to a reference to Christianity in the constitution's preamble, saying it would help the charter to be approved in referenda in some countries.

Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka said a failure to mention Christianity in the charter would further weaken the already shaky enthusiasm for the EU in Poland and other countries, seen in a low turnout during EU Parliament polls.

"We are especially keen on the issue of Christian tradition after the elections to the European Parliament with their low turnout," Mr Belka told a news conference.

The dispute over a reference to Christianity added to wrangling over a new voting system in the constitution, which EU leaders hope to approve today - six months after the failure of a previous summit on the issue.

"The constitution will have to be approved in many countries in referenda. If we are to count on approval..., the text should give people answers about their identity," Mr Belka said.

Poland, the biggest of 10 new countries that joined the EU in May, had a 20 per cent turnout during last weekend's European Parliament polls - one of the lowest in Europe.

Secular France dug its heels in opposing the reference to Christian roots, saying it was happy with the current preamble which mentions Europe's "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance".

"France isn't anti-Christian. It resolved this type of quarrel 100 years ago. We're not going to reopen this debate," President Jacques Chirac told a news conference.

Germany predicted that France would manage to stifle efforts of Christianity's advocates.

German Interior Minister Otto Schily said Berlin had tried and failed to obtain a reference similar to one in the preamble of its own Basic Law, which begins "Conscious of their responsibility before God and man..."

"We have actively pushed for a formula similar to that which is in the preamble to the German constitution, but there are different legal traditions in Europe and there is no support for this from the French," Mr Schily told reporters.

Hans-Gert Poettering, leader of the European People's Party - the European Parliament's mainly Christian Democratic biggest group - told German radio Belgian opposition to a reference to Christianity was one reason the EPP opposed Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt as next European Commission president.

For Poland's Belka, winning a reference to Christianity in the constitution would be crucial ahead of next week's confidence confidence vote in parliament, especially if he is forced to accept a tough compromise on the issue of EU voting rights.