Brussels, 30/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - After meeting Silvio Berlusconi in Rome at the end of last week, Elmar Brok MEP, leader of the EPP group at the European Convention, notes in a press release that the future President of the European Council repeated his determination for the Intergovernmental Conference to speedily conclude its work at the highest political level (heads of state and foreign ministers). The CDU MEP says the IGC could take the form of a conclave if it is to conclude its work in less than two months (mid-October to the end of the year).
At the Vatican, Elmar Brok also met Archbishop Jacques Touran, the Pope's foreign minister. Brok's press release notes that while they saw incorporating religious values into the Constitution as a step in the right direction, they both regretted that it has not yet been possible to make explicit reference to Christianity or God because of the range of different constitutional and political traditions.