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| EU talks to thrash out new treaty | EU talks to thrash out new treaty |
| (about 10 hours later) | |
| The EU is to start drafting a new treaty to reform the 27-member bloc. | The EU is to start drafting a new treaty to reform the 27-member bloc. |
| The launch of talks in Brussels aims to end two years of confusion after the proposed European constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters. | The launch of talks in Brussels aims to end two years of confusion after the proposed European constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters. |
| After June's summit, where EU leaders agreed on the treaty's outlines, there is a common desire to proceed quickly. | After June's summit, where EU leaders agreed on the treaty's outlines, there is a common desire to proceed quickly. |
| EU foreign ministers will also consider plans to send peacekeepers to Chad to protect refugees from neighbouring Darfur and discuss the Kosovo deadlock. | EU foreign ministers will also consider plans to send peacekeepers to Chad to protect refugees from neighbouring Darfur and discuss the Kosovo deadlock. |
| 100-page draft | 100-page draft |
| Monday's ceremony launching the talks on the new treaty - called an inter-governmental conference - will be low-key and brief - just half an hour. | Monday's ceremony launching the talks on the new treaty - called an inter-governmental conference - will be low-key and brief - just half an hour. |
| JUNE EU DEAL: MAIN ISSUES Double majority voting delayed until 2014Long-term EU presidentHigh Representative for foreign affairs Fewer national veto powers More powers for the European Parliament href="/1/hi/world/europe/6907478.stm">Son-of-constitution is born class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/6232834.stm">At-a-glance: Treaty proposals | |
| Portugal, which holds the EU presidency, will submit a first draft of about 100 pages to legal experts from all member states. | Portugal, which holds the EU presidency, will submit a first draft of about 100 pages to legal experts from all member states. |
| They will thrash out the details, aiming to reach a final deal by mid-October. | They will thrash out the details, aiming to reach a final deal by mid-October. |
| Looking to the world outside, EU foreign ministers will start planning to send peacekeepers to protect tens of thousands of refugees from Darfur on the Chad border. | Looking to the world outside, EU foreign ministers will start planning to send peacekeepers to protect tens of thousands of refugees from Darfur on the Chad border. |
| Strongly backed by France and Britain, the mission would include at least 1,500 troops and last up to a year. | Strongly backed by France and Britain, the mission would include at least 1,500 troops and last up to a year. |
| Russia will also feature on the agenda, with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband set to brief his colleagues on the tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats after Moscow's refusal to extradite the main suspect in the killing of Alexander Litvinenko in London last year. | Russia will also feature on the agenda, with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband set to brief his colleagues on the tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats after Moscow's refusal to extradite the main suspect in the killing of Alexander Litvinenko in London last year. |
| But British sources say they are happy with the support they have got from the rest of the EU and are not looking for new decisions. | But British sources say they are happy with the support they have got from the rest of the EU and are not looking for new decisions. |
| What they do want is a united EU front on Kosovo, after Russia blocked a Western-backed resolution at the United Nations which Moscow claimed would have led to independence for the Serbian province. | What they do want is a united EU front on Kosovo, after Russia blocked a Western-backed resolution at the United Nations which Moscow claimed would have led to independence for the Serbian province. |