Four Eu States Fight to Guard Neutrality

Four European countries were fighting last night to ensure that controversial defence provisions in the new EU constitution do not breach their traditional neutrality.

Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Austria banded together to demand changes in the treaty text, due to be finalised at what promises to be a stormy and unpredictable summit in the Belgian capital this weekend.

Several member states seem prepared for the possibility that the exercise could end in failure, and presage a crisis of confidence in the future of the union. Poland, which is refusing to budge from its stance on the vexed issue of voting rules, warned that what already looks like a cliffhanger could turn out to be a fiasco.

"What we have left are the most difficult issues," said France's foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin.

Finland led the EU's four neutral or non-aligned countries with a demand that a proposed European mutual defence guarantee - akin to Nato's - should not apply automatically.

The four are the only EU member states that are not also in Nato.

"Formal binding security guarantees would be inconsistent with our security policy or constitutional requirements," the four members said.

Ireland warned at ministerial talks in Brussels that failure to address its concerns would make it hard to win a referendum on the constitutional treaty, which would mean the constitution could never take effect.

But France, which is keen to advance the EU's ability to punch at its weight on the world stage, is unhappy with any attempt to water down the defence provisions.

"There's got to be agreement acceptable to all if there is to be agreement at all," said Jack Straw, the foreign secretary.