Czech president adamant Irish will reject Lisbon Treaty

CzechNews
24. 9. 2009 10:35
Václav Klaus hopes he will not have to sign the EU reform pact
Foto: Jan Langer

Prague - Czech President Vaclav Klaus said that he was adamant the Irish voters will reject the European Union's Lisbon treaty. That would mean tha as a fierce euroskeptic he would not have to sign the reform pact.

The upper and lower houses of Czech parliament have approved the treaty but the Czech President has been hesitant to sign it.

French President Sarkozy warned of Klaus' footdragging last week.

Heading the Czech delegation in the UN General Assembly in New York, Václav Klaus is spoke to international reporters about the Lisbon agreement. When asked how long he planned to wait, he gave a somewhat unclear answer.

"I don't have anything to say about that but I think the Lisbon agreement will be rejected by the Irish referendum, so I'm not worried about it. You shouldn't worry about it either," he told the journalists.

Klaus then declined to say what he would do if Irish voters approved the Lisbon treaty. Moreover, some Czech senators are poised to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court. That could mean further delay.

The the 27-member bloc was plunged into disarray last year when the Irish said No to the treaty. If the Lisbon treaty fails to win the backing of Irish voters again, it could kill the pact.

German President Horst Koehler is about to sign the treaty on Wednesday.

Only three EU member states (Ireland, the Czech Republic and Poland) have not ratified the treaty yet, which is designed to streamline EU decision-making.

 

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