Berlin - Germany and Italy's foreign ministers said Monday that both countries had decided to stay away from a UN racism conference underway in Durban, over fears that the event could be used as a platform for anti-Israeli slurs.

The comments came after bilateral talks in Berlin between German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini.

"Our absence is in order to avoid that a text which we don't share be used to send wrong messages," Frattini said, referring to a preparatory document which did not rule out unilateral condemnation of Israel.

"This does not mean that Italy and Germany are not strongly against every form of racism," Frattini added.

Steinmeier rejected criticism of the lack of European unity on this issue. Within the EU, he said, "there are differing prognoses and judgements how this conference will develop, but God knows that is no European split in decisive political-strategic questions."

All 27 European member states were against racism, the German foreign minister added.

Over a working lunch, Steinmeier expressed his condolences for the victims of an earthquake which claimed 294 lives in central Italy earlier this month.

The German Foreign Minister repeated his offer to fund the rebuilding of the badly damaged church in the community of Onna, on the outskirts of the town of l'Aquila, which had been badly damaged by German troops during World War II.

The leaders also discussed Italy's presidency of the Group of 8 (G8) leading economies, and the future perspectives of the G8 in an increasingly globalised world.

"In its current constellation the G8 is no longer seen as sufficiently legitimate to solve the important global questions," Steinmeier said.

Frattini added, "During the course of the Italian presidency we will also find the way to reflect on ways of enlarging to include other actors." This process had started by including African and other developing countries.

By brokering talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Frattini said Italy was continuing in a tradition of outreach started at Germany's G8 summit at Heiligendamm.

Both leaders spoke of the importance to ratify the EU's Lisbon treaty, and Frattini said everyone could agree that "we need more Europe, and we need a stronger and more political Europe."

"If Europe is politically weak, we are a weaker actor on the international scene," the Italian foreign minister added. (dpa)