Excerpt:
Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini on Wednesday voiced his opposition to the face veil. Women wearing the garment pose security issues and symbolise "a refusal to integrate" by Muslim immigrants in a host country, he said.
"Let's ask ourselves if covering one's face isn't the first sign of refusal to integrate and closing oneself off... from the host community and its traditions," Frattini said.
He was speaking at a conference of young publishers taking place in the Tuscan city of Florence, a day after France moved a step closer to banning the face veil.