Germany in last-minute bid to ban stem cell research

BRUSSELS, July 24 (Reuters) Germany was leading last-ditch efforts today to ban EU cash for research using human embryonic stem cells, days after President George W Bush vetoed an expansion of such work in the United States.

EU ministers were gathered in Brussels to agree on the 25-nation bloc's 51 billion euros (64.46 billion dollars) research programme for 2007-13, aimed at plugging the research gap with the United States and spurring economic growth.

The key hurdle is research using human embryonic stem cells.

German Research Minister Annette Schavan was locked in talks with Italy, Austria, Poland, Luxembourg, Malta and Austria ahead of the formal meeting.

If the group of six, largely Catholic states held together, it could block the adoption of the overall seven-year research budget.

''It's unclear how the situation is at the moment,'' Schavan told reporters.

The EU science programme should not be used to give financial incentives to kill embryos, she said last week.

Spain, Belgium, Sweden and Britain support such research, and a delay to the 7-year research programme could leave projects without funds from January.

Stem cells can turn themselves into any other type of cell in the body, and can be taken from embryos or adults to develop drugs or repair parts of the body.

The most promising stem cells are derived from very early human embryos left over from fertility treatments. Extracting the cells entails destroying the embryo.

Churches and ethics campaigners argue against using human embryos, while scientists say they are crucial.

Last month, the European Parliament agreed to using a fraction of the EU cash for embryonic and adult stem cell research under strict conditions, and EU president Finland has proposed that states effectively endorse the assembly's package.

Last Wednesday, Bush cast his first veto to block legislation to expand embryonic stem cell research, putting him at odds with top scientists, most Americans and some fellow Republicans but winning praise from anti-abortion groups.

Reuters LL VV1604