LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that recent proposals to mention the Christian roots of the European Union in a future constitution are not a worry for his mostly Muslim nation's ambition to join the bloc.
``I think that there won't be any reference to Christian roots in the future European Union constitution,'' Erdogan said. ``There might be proposals by some countries to do this, but it won't be accepted because this would go against all the principles of the foundation of the European Union. The European Union is not a Christian or geographic union, it is a union based on political criteria.''
``The European Union is not the place for a clash of civilizations, on the contrary it eases the union between civilizations, so that they can all live together,'' he added.
Erdogan was speaking after a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Jose Manuel Durao Barroso on the last day of a two-day visit.
Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party has roots in Turkey's pro-Islamic movement, but says it is not pursuing an Islamic agenda. Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country, but its constitution is staunchly secular.
At a recent meeting to discuss the EU's draft constitution, Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller said he wanted a mention of God and Christianity in the charter. Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain supported that reference.
Barroso said that even though Portugal would like to see such a reference on a cultural and historical level, it also supports Turkey's drive to joining the bloc.
Erdogan said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also assured him that Italy supports Turkey's ambitions.
Erdogan's government has made EU membership a priority and pushed reforms through parliament last week to advance its bid.
The EU has said Turkey must carry out democratic reforms, such as granting greater rights to its estimated 12 million Kurds. EU nations will decide in December 2004 whether Turkey is ready to start membership negotiations.
