French and Belgian ministers have walked out of a European Union meeting in Lisbon in protest at the presence of an Austrian minister from the far-right Freedom Party.

The French employment minister , Martine Aubry, said the move was a political gesture.

She and her Belgian counterpart returned to the meeting after the Austrian Social Affairs minister, Elisabeth Sickl had finished a speech in which she talked of her country's tradition of democracy and tolerance.

France and Belgium say they will now press for a review of European Union articles providing for sanctions against members that don't respect EU principles.

Mrs Sickl described this as an exaggerated response and called for dialogue. EU member states have taken limited diplomatic and political sanctions against Austria over the issue of the Freedom Party, although the EU as an organisation is maintaining usual links

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service