LONDON, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Nearly two-thirds of Britons want a referendum on the new EU treaty, according to a poll published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday.

The YouGov survey showed that some 64 percent of voters said that they wanted a referendum on the treaty, which eurosceptics say is the doomed EU constitution in all but name.

About 12 percent said they did not think a referendum was necessary, content to pass the treaty through Britain's parliament, which is how the government has said it will ratify the document.

COPENHAGEN, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - A high-ranking member of Denmark's governing Conservative Party called Friday for a referendum on the sweeping EU reform treaty.

A referendum 'is necessary in the long run in order to ensure popular support,' Pia Christmas-Moeller, the party's spokeswoman on foreign and political affairs, told Danish daily Berlingske Tidende on Friday.

'Danes are among the most well-informed citizens in the European Union, and it's thanks to our referendums,' she said.

STRASBOURG, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - British demands are hampering the formulation of a sweeping EU reform treaty just three weeks before it is due to be approved by European leaders, a European parliamentarian warned Wednesday.

'We still have serious concerns over Britain,' said liberal democrat Andrew Duff, one of three MEPs who is following the drafting of the 275-page treaty for the European parliament.

LONDON, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday ruled out a referendum on the new EU treaty, as Britain's best-selling newspaper said the country's future was at stake if there was no popular vote.

Brown, who addresses his governing Labour Party's annual conference later Monday, said a vote was not necessary as the treaty will not change the way Britain is governed because the government had secured concessions in a number of areas.

LONDON, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - The Sun tabloid, Britain's best-selling daily, made an impassioned plea Monday for a referendum on the new EU treaty in a front-page editorial ahead of a major speech by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Publishing its 'Sun Says' editorial across its first three pages, the tabloid declared that 'Britain's destiny is at stake today,' just hours before Brown, who has insisted that the treaty be passed by parliament, makes his inaugural speech to the governing Labour Party's conference as leader.

BOURNEMOUTH , England, Sept 23, 2007 (AFP) - Wrangling about the European Union's institutional structures is affecting delivery on the real issues facing the bloc, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Sunday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the governing Labour Party's annual conference, Miliband said the main priorities facing the 27 member states were tackling international extremism, global inequality and climate change.

But the issue of whether or not to hold a referendum on the new constitutional treaty was affecting progress, he said.

THE HAGUE, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - The Dutch government on Friday refused to order a referendum on a new EU constitutional treaty which risks opening up new divisions over Europe.

Voters in the Netherlands and France in 2005 rejected an earlier proposal for an EU constitution in referendums, plunging the EU into a major political crisis. Much of Europe has been watching to see whether the Dutch government would call a popular vote.

But Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said: 'A referendum is unnecessary and undesirable.'

BRUSSELS, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - The Dutch government's decision Friday to oppose a referendum on the EU reform treaty, meant to replace the defunct constitution, may have removed a major obstacle to the text taking force.

Voters in the Netherlands, as well as those in France, torpedoed the painstakingly-drafted constitution by rejecting it in referendums just over two years ago, plunging the EU into its worst-ever political crisis.

THE HAGUE, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - The Dutch government on Friday opposed holding a referendum on a new EU constitutional treaty which risks opening up new divisions over Europe, ANP news agency reported.

Voters in the Netherlands and France in 2005 rejected a new constitution in referendums, plunging the EU into a major political crisis.

LONDON, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) - A tiny southern English village backed a proposal on Thursday calling on the government to hold a referendum on the new European Union treaty.

Of the 333 residents on East Stoke's electoral roll, just 80 turned out for the vote -- Britain's first on whether or not the public should have a say on the EU treaty -- of which 72 backed the motion, with eight against.

LONDON, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) - The tiny southern English village of East Stoke is set to vote on whether or not it should have a referendum on the new European Union treaty, The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday.

The village, which has a population of 369, is exploiting a law whereby if 10 or more local residents vote for a poll on any subject of their choice, the local district council must organise one.

Though the result has no legal authority, it is designed to demonstrate public opinion.

LONDON, Sept 18, 2007 (AFP) - The British government came under renewed pressure Tuesday to ban cluster bombs on the 10th anniversary of a treaty banning landmines worldwide.

'Like landmines, cluster bombs sow death and injury in the fields and villages of innocent men, women and children,' said a group of religious leaders in a letter to The Times newspaper.

MONTREAL, Sept 15, 2007 (AFP) - A meeting of signatories to the Montreal Protocol could make a 'historic gesture' by working simultaneously to restore the ozone layer and halt global warming, a UN official said in an interview published Saturday.

Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN program for the environment, told the daily Le Devoir the fight against global climate change and the fight to restore the ozone layer are linked.

THE HAGUE, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - The Dutch government discussed whether or not to hold a referendum on the new EU treaty Friday, nearly two years after the Dutch 'no' vote to the EU constitution, but said it needed more time to decide.

Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said he had 'complete confidence' that the government will reach an agreement on the matter next week.

Whatever decision the cabinet reaches will still have to be approved by parliament and the senate here

PARIS, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, whose 20th anniversary is on Sunday, names seven groups of chemicals for phaseout, setting different deadlines for developed and developing countries.

These chlorine-based compounds were widely introduced after World War II, serving as refrigerants, aerosol-spray propellants, solvents and foam-blowing agents.

Here is the list and the deadline for halting their production in developed and developing countries respectively:

PRAGUE, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - EU countries should set a less ambitious deadline for a wide-ranging reform treaty to be ratified by its 27 member states, Czech European Affairs minister, Alexandr Vondra, told local lawmakers on Thursday.

The current ratification target of 12 months would amount to 'a record tempo' and be difficult to achieve, Vondra told the lower house's committee on European affairs, the Czech agency CTK reported.

Normally it takes 18 months to two years for such agreements to pass through national legislatures, he said.

WARSAW, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - Poland officially announced Thursday it would join Britain in opting out of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, a cornerstone of the new treaty meant to replace the proposed European Union constitution.

'Poland has announced it will join the British protocol, while negotiating in parallel the clauses confirming Poland's respect for the elevated social norms,' said a Polish foreign ministry statement.

WARSAW, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - The Polish government officially announced Thursday it would join Britain in opting out of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, a cornerstone of the new treaty meant to replace the proposed European Union constitution.

'Poland has announced it will join the British protocol, while negotiating in parallel the clauses confirming Poland's respect for the elevated social norms,' said a Polish foreign ministry statement.

LONDON, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - The leader of Britain's third-biggest political party backed on Wednesday Prime Minister Gordon Brown's plans to approve the new European Union treaty by a vote in parliament and not a referendum.

The comments from Sir Menzies Campbell, leader of the Liberal Democrats, will take some of the heat off Brown, who has faced opposition from eurosceptics over his refusal to hold a public vote over the treaty, which they say is the doomed EU constitution in all but name.

BRUSSELS, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - Euro MPs on Tuesday accused Britain of threatening to hold a referendum on the EU's reform treaty as a tactic to obtain wider concessions from partner states.

'We find ourselves in a delicate situation,' said German conservative MEP Elmar Brok.

'In certain countries the message is 'if you don't give us the following we'll hold a referendum'.'

VIANA DO CASTELO, Portugal, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - All European Union nations want to agree the text of a wide-ranging reform treaty for the bloc next month despite several remaining snags, the EU's Portuguese presidency said Friday.

'We have set a timetable and we are sticking to that ambition,' Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado told a press conference after talks with his EU counterparts in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal.

'All member states were very keen that we should fulfil the mandate' for a treaty agreed by EU leaders in June, he added.

VIANA DO CASTELO, Portugal, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - Portugal pushed European foreign ministers here Friday to keep a new treaty of EU reforms on track, amid fears that Poland could derail efforts to finalise an agreement next month.

Portugal, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, expressed determination to secure a deal by an October 18-19 summit, even with Poland due to hold politically sensitive legislative elections just days after that meeting.

VIANA DO CASTELO, Portugal, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - EU foreign ministers gathered Friday for talks on the bloc's reform treaty, with the Portuguese hosts stressing the need to reach a deal next month, despite fears Poland could block the process.

The determination from Portugal, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, faces a potential political roadblock from Poland which is due to hold legislative elections just days after the key EU summit in Lisbon on October 18-19.

VIANA DO CASTELO, Portugal, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) - European Union foreign ministers gather Friday to assess whether the EU's new treaty of reforms can be finalised on time next month amid fears that Poland could block an agreement.

The ministers, meeting for two days of informal talks in the northern Portuguese port city of Viana do Castelo, will focus first during a working lunch from 1200 GMT on the EU's strained relations with Russia.

MADRID, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - The British government has no plans to hold a referendum on the new EU treaty, the foreign minister said here Thursday as a cross-party campaign kicked off in Britain to demand a vote on the document.

'The position of the British government is that we should have parliamentary scrutiny of the reform treaty and not a referendum,' David Miliband told a joint news conference with his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos.

BRUSSELS, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - EU foreign ministers meet in Portugal Friday with the bloc's reform treaty topping the agenda amid hopes that a final text can be agreed next month despite a potential pitfall looming in Poland.

Leaders from the European Commission and Portugal, which holds the rotating EU presidency, have been talking up the chances of agreeing a definitive text at a Lisbon summit on October 18-19.

LONDON, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - A cross-party campaign is set to kick off Thursday, calling on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to give the country a referendum on the new European Union treaty.

The campaign -- 'I Want a Referendum' -- includes parliamentarians from all the three main political parties, including a handful of former ministers from the governing Labour Party.

Its website will be published later on Thursday, and the campaign will also air a cinema advert this month, in addition to grassroots drives across the country.

BRUSSELS, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso expressed confidence Wednesday that a new treaty to replace the EU's failed constitution could be agreed at a summit next month.

Barroso was speaking at a joint press conference with Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, who agreed that the negotiations on the treaty should be wrapped up at the EU summit in Lisbon on October 18-19.

The head of the EU executive dismissed misgivings in some quarters that elections in Poland on October 21 could lead to a delay in the treaty deal.

MOSCOW, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - Russia's lower house of parliament ratified on Wednesday a border treaty with Latvia, reflecting an easing of tensions between the two neighbours, Russian media reported.

The accord was drafted by both sides a decade ago but was only signed by the countries' prime ministers in March after differences over a stretch of territory that lies on the Russian side of the border but was part of Latvia before World War II.

The border also marks the eastern edge of the European Union.

LONDON, Sept 4, 2007 (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown declined Tuesday to rule out holding a referendum on the European Union's new treaty, hinting he could do so if Britain's EU partners do not meet London's 'red line' demands.

But Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair in June, voiced confidence that EU negotiations will confirm a series of concessions secured at a June summit in Brussels which buried the bloc's controversial constitution.

BRUSSELS, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - European Union legal experts resumed work Wednesday on finalising a new treaty of reforms to replace the bloc's shelved constitution, with key obstacles still to be overcome.

Following a summer break, the experts were set to meet regularly until the weekend and from Monday to Thursday next week to prepare for talks on the treaty between EU foreign ministers in Portugal on September 7-8.

LONDON, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Wednesday stood firm amid rising pressure to submit the new EU treaty to a referendum amid threats from trade unions to break ranks and call for a public vote.

Speaking to reporters following talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Brown said he was confident that the unions would back the government's position of passing the treaty through parliament when they stage their annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) next month.

FRANKFURT, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet has asked for modifications to a newly agreed reform treaty for the European Union, a letter on the ECB website said Monday.

In a letter to the Portuguese presidency of the EU dated August 2, Trichet asks that the ECB be removed from a list of European institutions included in the treaty in order to protect its independence.

WASHINGTON, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - A senior US legislator Wednesday introduced a resolution expressing strong concern with Russia's decision to withdraw from a key European arms control pact, the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (Conventional Forces in Europe) treaty.

Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings, Chairman of the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the US Helsinki Commission), called Moscow's move 'troubling' and said it reflected as much domestic politics as it did serious Russian defense concerns.

LONDON, July 31, 2007 (AFP) - Britain's main opposition Conservative Party slammed the new European Union treaty as a 'cut and paste job' from the bloc's doomed constitution, and renewed calls for the document to be put before voters in a referendum.

'Now the first official English text of the new EU Treaty is out we can see clearly what a cut and paste job this is from the old EU Constitution,' William Hague, the Tories' foreign affairs spokesman, said.

LISBON, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - French Prime Minister Francois Fillon urged Portuguese counterpart and European Union president Jose Socrates on Friday to take quick steps towards the adoption of a new European treaty.

'I reminded the Portuguese prime minister, and I believe we are in total agreement on this point, of the need to go quickly, because Europe must turn this page and resume its march forward with solid institutions,' he said.

OTTAWA, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Moscow's decision to freeze a key Soviet-era Russia-NATO arms pact must not sway upcoming elections in neighboring Ukraine, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay urged Wednesday.

'The withdrawal or suspension of the treaty has had a very chilling effect, particularly on the surrounding countries and those of the former Soviet Bloc,' MacKay said.

BRUSSELS, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Talks between NATO and Russia Wednesday on Moscow`s decision to freeze a key Soviet-era arms pact produced no breakthrough but will continue, an alliance spokesman said.

'There was no change in the respective positions of the NATO countries or Russia. But the discussion was very detailed, with a lot of explanation from Russia,' said the spokesman, Robert Pszczel.