Neutrals receive lukewarm response on defence

The four neutral countries in the European Union have received a muted response to their proposals to water down an article on mutual defence in the future EU Constitution.

Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday were reticent about the new wording proposed by Austria, Finland, Ireland and Sweden which suggests "if a Member State is victim of armed aggression, it may request that the other Member States give it aid and assistance by all the means in their power, military or othe...