Monday, March 19 7:52 PM SGT

BRUSSELS (AP)--European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to support a U.N. draft resolution that is expected to condemn China's poor record on human rights, but backed away from co-sponsoring it. The resolution is to be debated at the U.N. Human Rights Commission annual meeting in Geneva starting Tuesday.

In a statement, foreign ministers said they "remained concerned about the lack of respect for fundamental freedoms in China," citing the example of how banned religious groups like Falun Gong are being treated by Beijing. It was the E.U.'s strongest statement on the issue in three years.

The E.U. also condemned the continuing crackdown on religious and cultural rights in Tibet, but urged further closer talks with Chinese officials to improve the situation.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had asked his European colleagues to co-sponsor the draft U.N. resolution. The E.U. instead opted to vote for it.

Several E.U. nations have in the past backed away from condemning China, preferring instead to seek closer dialogue on the issue, in order not to damage trade relations.

The E.U. already holds regular talks with China on human rights, and last month criticized Beijing for its widespread use of the death penalty during the visit of a Chinese delegation visit to Stockholm.

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