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Belgian FM deplores Irish "No" to EU treaty |
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10:40, June 14, 2008 |
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht deplored on Friday the negative result of the Irish referendum on the new European Union (EU) treaty which is designed to streamline EU institutions and make the 27-nation bloc more effective.
De Gucht said in a statement that he was convinced that the "no" vote on the Treaty of Lisbon does not reflect a rejection by the Irish population of European construction.
"On the contrary it demonstrates once again the need for reform of European institutions to make their operation more transparent and understandable for the population of the (European) Union, which is precisely one of the raisons d'etre of the Treaty of Lisbon," he said.
Official results showed Friday that 53.4 percent of Irish voters voted against the treaty.
De Gucht said that the treaty had already been adopted by a majority of states and a broad consensus exists on the need to reform the EU.
"It is therefore important now to calmly analyze the situation and see what are the possibilities to implement the Treaty," he said.
The minister calls on EU member states that have not yet ratified the treaty to finalize their ratification process without delay. He reiterated his hope to see the treaty ratified by Belgium before the end of the summer.
Source:Xinhua
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