The Greek parliament ratified the landmark Lisbon Treaty by a vote of 250 to 42 at a session that concluded Wednesday midnight.
According to Athens News Agency, the night session was attended by all political leaders, led by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, and almost the entire cabinet. Deputies from both ruling New Democracy (ND) and main opposition PASOK voted in favor. Eight deputies were absent from the vote.
During Wednesday parliament debate on ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis emphasized that the agreement is the "realistic path to 21st Century Europe; a path for a better European future, one of solidarity, stability, collective progress for all peoples, a path that serves the interests of all Greeks."
Karamanlis' address in the parliament was the highlight of the two-day debate on the Lisbon Treaty. It came days after French President Nicolas Sarkozy passionately called on Greece's 300-MP legislature to endorse the pact from the very same podium during an official visit to Athens.
Karamanlis noted that Greece has had a substantive role in drawing up the current Treaty. "We are satisfied with the efforts for drawing up the Treaty; we are satisfied that all of our partners ended this phase of inwardness and stagnation that had taken hold over previous years," he said.
The Lisbon Treaty replaces a more ambitious EU constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005, plunging the bloc into a crisis.
The charter must be ratified by all 27 EU member states before it can take effect as planned on Jan. 1, 2009.
Source:Xinhua
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