Berlusconi wins EU battle

Berlusconi: Got his way despite objections

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has won a confrontation with European Union foreign ministers, persuading them to accept his controversial candidate for the new Convention debating the future of Europe.

Mr Berlusconi arrived in Brussels, for his debut in the role of foreign minister, demanding a place for post-fascist National Alliance leader, Gianfranco Fini, as the Italian Government's representative.

(Mr Fini) has retracted many of his reprehensible opinions and you have to take that into account

Belgian Foreign Minister
Louis Michel

Opponents had complained that the convention already had an Italian member - the former socialist Prime Minister Giuliano Amato who is the forum's vice president - and Italy should not end up with two seats.

The ministers agreed that each government could have one representative on the body, beyond those in the presidency.

Germany's Joschka Fischer said he had been reassured by pledges from Mr Amato to act independently of the Italian Government.

Before the meeting, some ministers had also objected that Mr Fini - whose party has its roots in Mussolini's Fascist Party - was, in any case, not an appropriate choice for the post.

But Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said Mr Fini had retracted "many of his reprehensible opinions - and you have to take that into account".

Fini: Critics say a post-fascist is the wrong man for the job

He added: "I don't see how I can refuse him."

The task of the convention is to examine how to "reconnect" the EU with citizens who perceive it as a distant and over-bureaucratic body, and to discuss how the EU will operate when it takes in up to 12 new members from Southern and Eastern Europe.

Among the thorny issues to be examined are further restrictions on the use of national vetoes, the distribution of power between nation states and Brussels, and the difficulty of persuading young people to take an interest in the EU.

Diplomatic gaffe

Mr Berlusconi's decision to take over the Italian Foreign Ministry until at least June provoked widespread concern among EU colleagues.

Ministers will also decide whether to hit Zimbabwe's Mugabe with sanctions

His diplomatic skills had already been called into question, when he suggested that Western civilisation was superior to that of Islam.

He has also clashed with other EU members on policy issues, including the launch of an Europe-wide arrest warrant.

Critics said Mr Berlusconi's objections were based on fears for his own liberty. He was eventually persuaded to back the policy.

Among other decisions, the ministers:

• Warned Zimbabwe they would impose targeted sanctions if its government failed to ensure the deployment of an EU team of observers for presidential elections within a week
• Postponed until next month a decision on whether to take over responsibility for policing in Bosnia after the UN withdraws at the end of this year