February 24, 2003	Monday	Zul Hijjah 22, 1423

PARIS, Feb 23: French Muslim leaders have reached a long-awaited deal to create a council that would talk to the state on behalf of Europe’s largest Muslim community.

France is trying to improve relations with its five million Muslims fearing that militants could exploit tensions created by the 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States and the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

France’s Catholics, Jews and Protestants have similar bodies which talk to the government on issues such as schooling. But rivalries among Muslim leaders has for years held up attempts by successive governments to create a council for Muslims.

An Interior Ministry statement said Muslim leaders hammered out their differences in marathon talks lasting well into Saturday night. “After two days and a night of work, the Organising Commission for the French Council of Muslims reached agreement on the remaining points which had to be settled for the functioning of the French Council of the Muslim Faith...and the organisation of elections,” the statement said.—Reuters