Visa squabble

BRUSSELS. The European Union may require Canadian diplomats to obtain visas unless Canada restores visa-free travel for Czech visitors by the end of the year, the EU justice commissioner said yesterday.

Jacques Barrot said he told EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels this was one possible measure the bloc's executive arm could take if the issue was not resolved.

A retaliatory step would require the formal endorsement of the 27 European Union countries, and Barrot said it remained to be seen if all member states would back it. Barrot said as a first step, Canada should open an office in Prague where Czechs could obtain Canadian visas, instead of having to travel to Vienna as they do now.

Canada said its visa decision was a response to what it considered bogus refugee claims.