TOP Eurocrat Cathy Ashton faced outrage last night after the EU failed to condemn attacks on Christians in the Islamic world.
Diplomats accused the baroness, who is EU foreign affairs supremo and the world’s most highly-paid female politician, of seeking to appease Muslims by wiping out any reference to the Christian faith in statements.
The row erupted yesterday when a meeting of EU foreign ministers, chaired by Baroness Ashton, broke up in acrimony after failing to agree a statement about religious persecution in Egypt and Iraq.
Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini savaged Lady Ashton over the debacle, saying: “This position is an excess of secularism, which is damaging the credibility of Europe.
“The final text didn’t include any mention of Christians, as if we were talking of something else, so I asked for the text to be withdrawn.” Mr Frattini had demanded a response from the EU after a New Year suicide bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt in which 23 people died.
That bombing followed attacks on Christians in Baghdad, which led the Vatican to warn of growing persecution that could trigger a Christian exodus from the Middle East.
One diplomat said: “Those who thought the creation of a high representative would lead to a more unified and coherent EU foreign policy have been very disappointed with Ashton.
“She cannot even finesse a statement from Christian Europe condemning attacks on Christians.”
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