Rome: Western leaders launch historical EU talks

"I am sure that we will give more importance to what unites us than to what divides us," he said. The conference would help forge "a Europe capable of speaking with one voice, of freedom, of democracy, of economic efficiency, and solidarity between peoples," he said. Ring of security,
including 10,000 police, sorrounded the summit venue to prevent demonstrators who began gathering in the city. The starting point for the talks was a draft constitution drawn up over 16 months by a convention chaired by former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing. The current Italian EU presidency hopes that the talks will result in a new Treaty of Rome but differences remain on a wide number of points, from voting rights to mentioning God.