Austria’s foreign minister said today that an emergency meeting with her Danish counterpart and leading representatives of the international Islamic community had made progress on diffusing tensions over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

EU foreign ministers today called on the militant group Hamas to clarify its political intentions in an eventual Palestinian government, urging it to embrace peace efforts with Israel.

Austria assumed the presidency of the European Union today with a pledge to make the 25-nation bloc “more tangible to our citizens”.

Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel says he’s “proud” of the tough position Austria staked out in crisis talks on the launch of negotiations with Turkey to join the European Union.

The European Union overcame last-minute doubts and opened membership talks today with Turkey – a historic move to include a predominantly Muslim nation that both sides said would benefit all of Europe.

Austria refused to drop its objections to Turkey’s bid to become the first predominantly Muslim nation to be a full member of the European Union, forcing EU foreign ministers to suspend crisis talks and resume them later this morning.

European Union foreign ministers were preparing for a last-ditch attempt today to persuade Austria to drop its objections to starting membership negotiations with Turkey.