The European Union needs to work more closely with the moderate Muslim world and develop a strategy that goes beyond security if it is to fight terrorism effectively, Italy and Spain said on Saturday.
At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in the Netherlands, Italy's Franco Frattini called for the 25-member bloc to discuss developing a stronger common counter-terrorism policy at the next summit meeting of EU leaders in November.
"The EU must raise the profile of its counter-terrorism policy," Italy said in a paper presented to the meeting. "The EU and its member states have a potential of resources and global influence far from being fully exploited."
Italy said the EU should do more to share intelligence, build relations with Muslim countries, help train security forces in vulnerable countries, clamp down on financing of terrorist groups, improve border control and engage with moderate Islam, including with Muslim immigrants within the EU.
"We should be better able to convey to a wider international audience our belief in free and fair society as a way out of poverty, intolerance and political oppression," the paper said.
Frattini noted that the Arab League as well as French and Italian Muslims had recently issued statements condemning militant violence in the name of Islam. "We have to look for a broad alliance with Muslim countries," he said.
Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos expressed similar sentiments.
"Defensive, reactive policies are necessary such as establishing co-operation, exchange of information, intelligence, police methods, but this is not enough to combat international terrorism by this group of fanatics," he said.
"We need broader policies, a more profound strategic reflection in other sectors, not just in security, but also in economic, social, cultural, religious, political areas in the context of the perceptions in the east and the Islamic world."
The EU last year adopted a common security strategy drawn up by the bloc's foreign policy chief Javier Solana in which fighting terrorism featured prominently.
SANCTIONS AGAINST SUDAN: The European Union will draw up sanctions against Sudan, with a view to implementing them if the United Nations calls for such measures, the Dutch foreign minister said on Saturday.
"We certainly do not exclude sanctions at some point in time," Bernard Bot, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, told a news conference.
Bot said it was too early to say what form the sanctions may take, but added an oil boycott was possible.
"We have requested both the Council Secretariat and the Commission to draft a list of sanctions and their implications," he added, referring to the secretariat of the EU's 25 heads of state and government, and to the bloc's executive.
The UN Security Council threatened on July 30 to consider imposing unspecified sanctions on Sudan if it failed within 30 days to improve security in Darfur and disarm Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in the vast region of western Sudan.
Sudan admits arming some militias to fight rebels who revolted in Darfur in February 2003, but denies any link to the Janjaweed, whom it calls outlaws.
The fighting has triggered what the UN calls one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing up to 50,000 people and forcing more than 1 million to flee their homes.