Britain faces EU pressure to allow visa for Mugabe

Britain was put firmly on the defensive yesterday by plans to revive the European constitution at breakneck speed and moves to lift the EU's visa ban on Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe.

Spain raised the tempo over the constitution by calling for two key meetings in the first two months of next year to try to find a way ahead following the rejection of the treaty by French and Dutch voters. A joint Spanish-Luxembourg blueprint would see one meeting in January involving the 18 countries that have already ratified the constitution. The following month would see another gathering including France and the Netherlands, which rejected the treaty.

The Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende rejected the idea, but there were clear signals the debate on the constitution will return with a vengeance in 2007. Germany plans to draft a declaration in March to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which laid the foundations for the EU. This could include the rhetorical elements of the rejected constitution - allowing EU leaders to concentrate later on a slimmed-down version of the text dealing with institutional reforms.

Berlin's top diplomat in Brussels has called for the impasse to be resolved within a year. British ministers played for time yesterday but rejected demands for a halt to the EU's expansion until the bloc's decision-making process had been reformed by a new treaty. "It is not Britain's point of view," Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said.

Meanwhile, Portugal said that it wants to invite all African leaders - including Mr Mugabe - to an EU-Africa summit next year. The Portuguese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, argued that the EU's position on Mr Mugabe needed to be changed and that "that will happen in February", adding: "The summit cannot be held if we do not invite all African countries."

Sanctions against Mr Mugabe and his allies need to be renewed in February, and Portugal could block that process. Mrs Beckett said that there was "strong support" for a meeting between the EU and the African Union, but added that the ball was "in the court" of the AU.

After yesterday's EU summit agreed to freeze eight of the 35 areas of negotiation with Turkey on its bid to join the EU, Tony Blair's official spokesman admitted that progress was slower than Britain had hoped for but insisted it was "not the end of the road".

Mr Blair left Brussels for Ankara for talks last night with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to urge the country to open its ports to Cyprus.

"It is important we continue the process to accession with Turkey and we do not shut the door to Turkey's membership," Mr Blair said. "We recognise this has got an importance not just in relation to Turkey but to wider relationships between the West and the Muslim world," he added.

The visit came at the start of Mr Blair's tour of the Middle East, in which he will try to revive the Israel-Palestine peace process.