Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said Sunday night that he viewed Britain as "a real problem" to a deal on a "road map" plan for a new European Union (EU) treaty as Britain insists on omitting the "fundamental rights" chapter from the new document.

"To remove the fundamental rights chapter will be unimaginable for countries like Luxembourg and Spain, which have approved the 2004 edition of the EU constitution," Asselborn told Xinhua following the first night talks of the EU foreign ministers.

The original EU constitution contains a chapter of "fundamental rights" including democracy and human rights. The process of the EU charter was stalled after rejections by French and Dutch voters in 2005 referendums.

The EU foreign ministers, who will continue their talks on Monday and Tuesday, are in Luxembourg to prepare for the EU summit scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels, with the main task to narrow differences over a new EU treaty.

Asselborn said he is optimistic about the prospects of striking a deal on the "road map" for reviving the EU constitution.

He said the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have changed their positions

while Poland, which is against reducing its voting power, is also making positive adjustments in its stance.

Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Britain are considered as the major opponents to the German-proposed "road map " plan.

Earlier, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado said disagreements on some "key" issues still exist concerning a new EU treaty.

"On some key points, we have (made progress), but on some others, we did not," he said. "I believe the German (EU) presidency will be able to tackle these."

However, he declined to go into details about the progress on the issue.

Amado said all the leaders of EU countries have "a sense of responsibility" and "are prepared" to hammer out a deal on a new EU treaty.

"In the end, we will have an agreement," he said, adding he was paid to "be optimistic and not pessimistic."

EU leaders have stepped up their diplomatic efforts these days to narrow differences over the contents of a new EU treaty.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, was also in Luxembourg on Sunday.

While acknowledging that "we still have several serious problems to solve" before the EU summit, she called on EU member states to "make compromises" in a bid to agree on a "road map" for a new EU treaty at the Brussels summit.

Speaking after meeting Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, Merkel also pledged to conduct "emergency consultations" with leaders of other EU members before their June 21-22 summit.

Juncker expressed his optimism that a deal could be reached on the "road map" plan in Brussels, and promised to join Merkel in persuading leaders of some EU countries into accepting the plan.

Source: Xinhua