EU row candidate stands down Italy's controversial European Commission nominee, Rocco Buttiglione, has said he is standing down as commissioner-designate. "I am ready to stand aside to smooth the way for (the) commission," he said. Mr Buttiglione faced opposition from the European Parliament over his views on homosexuality and women. The incoming Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, earlier withdrew his proposed list of commissioners because of the dispute. MEPs had threatened to veto the proposed commission if Mr Buttiglione stayed. The EU parliament can only approve nominations for the 25-seat executive Commission as a whole. Reading from a statement, Mr Buttiglione said he wished the Barroso commission every success because Europe needed a strong commission. 'Innocent victim' Mr Buttiglione said he was an "innocent victim" whose views about gays had been misquoted, and he criticised the press for superficial coverage. He also said he was a "champion of human rights" not an "adversary" of human rights. He went on to thank Mr Barroso for having "defended me as much as possible". The Italian president, Silvio Berlusconi, said on Friday that Mr Buttiglione would most likely be replaced as Italy's nominee to the new commission. I am an innocent victim of an orchestrated campaign Rocco Buttiglione The two men met to discuss the issue on Friday night. Mr Buttiglione, a close friend of Pope John Paul II, will remain a minister in the Berlusconi government. The BBC's chief political correspondent Guto Harri in Rome says there has been speculation that Foreign Minister Franco Frattini will be appointed to take on the job. Mario Monti, a former Italian EU Commissioner, has also been frequently mentioned as a replacement and would be a popular choice, our correspondent says. The issue of Mr Buttiglione's appointment to the commission overshadowed the signing of the EU constitution, in a lavish ceremony in Rome on Friday. As the event progressed, Mr Barroso held hurried talks with EU leaders to seek support for his planned changes to the commission. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3967463.stm Published: 2004/10/30 11:40:46 GMT © BBC MMIV ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
