EU ministers vow treaty on track

Cowen: Irish support is not in question

LUXEMBOURG -- European Union leaders are confident their enlargement treaty will be adopted by the end of next year, despite a setback delivered by Irish voters.

In a referendum held last week, Irish voters rejected the Nice Treaty for EU enlargement.

The end of next year has been set as the target for concluding negotiations with membership candidates so they can become full members by 2004 following ratification.

"Our support for enlargement is not in question," said Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen.

"This (the Irish rejection) will not act as a brake on negotiations for enlargement," he told Associated Press news agency.

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Leaders of the 15-nation bloc were concerned by Ireland's failure to ratify the treaty as they prepared to meet President Bush this week for his first EU-U.S. summit.

"The rejection of the Treaty of Nice by the Irish people is, of course, a disappointment but I am confident the European Union has the capacity to get over this difficulty," French President Jacques Chirac told AP in Paris.

"Our objective remains that the treaty enters into force before the end of 2002, which is necessary to bring about the enlargement," he added.

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Romano Prodi, the EU's chief executive, said the uncertainty triggered by the Irish vote would not weaken the Europeans' position when they meet Bush on Thursday in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

"This is a meeting of equals since Europe is becoming an increasingly authoritative player on the world stage," Prodi told reporters at the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.

The foreign ministers ruled out renegotiating the treaty. "Ratification will continue on the basis of this (Nice) text and in accordance with the agreed timetable," a statement said.

The treaty was concluded by EU leaders in December after months of negotiations.

All 15 current EU members must approve the treaty, but only Ireland is obliged by its constitution to do so in a referendum.

Barely a third of Irish voters turned out for the referendum, and just 54 percent of those voted against the treaty.

The leaders' insistence that the treaty was on track was at odds with Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson's admission that the Irish result could derail the expansion.

Persson, admitted there could be problems. "This risks if not stopping, at least delaying enlargement," he told the Swedish parliament.

"The entire treaty we agreed on in Nice is aimed at making possible EU enlargement."

Enlarging the EU is the most ambitious project the bloc has undertaken.

Candidates for inclusion include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus.

Turkey, a NATO member, has also applied to join but is lagging behind the other candidates.

Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek told reporters in Copenhagen the EU summit should stress enlargement would not be jeopardised by the Irish vote.

"We want a clear signal of political will and support for enlargement," he said.