Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Monday expressed satisfaction after the European Union said it may boycott an upcoming United Nations World Conference Against Racism.
Following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, the Czech presidency said there would be a ''strong call to withdraw'' from the the Durban Review Conference if a widely criticised draft document was not altered.
Earlier this month Italy became the first European Union country to follow Israel, Canada and the United States by withdrawing from the conference, which is a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
All four countries have slammed anti-semitic sentiment and a clause banning criticism of religious faiths in the conference's draft document, and last week Frattini called on other EU members to follow suit.
Frattini said Monday that EU foreign ministers had thrown their weight behind a new Dutch proposal for the draft document which will be presented to organisers of the conference, due to take place in Geneva on April 20-24.
The Dutch text is ''radically new and alternative and respects the general aims of the conference'', the minister said.
As well as reducing the number of paragraphs in the document from 250 to around 25, it removes clauses condemning Israel for racial discrimination and stating that freedom of expression cannot be extended to criticism of any religious faith.
''If it is accepted, Italy will be able to rethink its decision not to participate in the conference,'' Frattini said.
He warned that if the text was not accepted some EU countries may participate in order to vote against the resolutions.
''The Dutch text is Europe's red line'' he said.
Frattini said he was glad that the Italian position had provided a stimulus for the other EU countries.
''Italy stirred up the torbid waters'', he said.
Both the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the European Jewish Congress renewed calls for countries to boycott the conference this month.
