German FM stresses on solving EU constitutional stalemate

There should be a balancing of all the members' interests in solving the EU constitutional treaty problem, said visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday.

Steinmeier told reporters after meeting with his Polish counterpart Anna Fotyga that Germany believes there is not much time and room left for the constitutional process to be in a state of dilemma and "an exit must be successfully found" within weeks or months.

Steinmeier argued that to solve the constitutional problem, there should be a balancing of the interests of all members, including those members who have approved the document already, vetoed it in the national referendum or still hold doubts.

The constitution, whose adoption has been put on hold since it was rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005, was designed to improve the policy-making system for a bloc that has expanded to 27 nations.

Steinmeier said Germany at present is patiently consulting with other members and intends to float a specific proposal on the constitution in June.

Poland is among the nations that are yet to ratify the treaty. President Lech Kaczynski expressed his concerns on Friday over the issue of an EU foreign minister the constitution envisages, saying that the post could not consider the diplomatic interests of all EU member states.

He also said that Poland planned to present its own proposals on the constitution treaty in March.

Pressing forward for a revival of the constitution is high on the agenda of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the six-month European Union (EU) rotating presidency until June. She has vowed to commit to a timetable being ready for the constitutional process by the end of Germany's presidency.

Source: Xinhua