This is step nearer ratification indeed BUT La Croix and others
expect that he will not sign until the Irish vote and provided that
says "YES". More unexpected is this paragraph from La Croix - - -
Le président Klaus accusé de jouer la montre
« Klaus est imprévisible et machiavélique », s'inquiète en revanche
une haute source à l'UMP, redoutant que le président tchèque « fasse
de nouveau appel à la Cour constitutionnelle et à tout ce qu'il peut
pour retarder sa signature jusqu'aux élections britanniques, l'an
prochain ». Les Tories, dirigés par David Cameron, promettent en
effet qu'en cas de retour au pouvoir, ils soumettront le traité à
référendum outre-Manche.
This suggests that Klaus will delay his signature until after "the
British elections next year. The Tories under David Cameron promise
- - - - to submit the treaty to a referendum". That would certainly
get Cameron off the horns of his dilemma!
xxxxxxxxxxxx cs
Vaclav Klaus, a renowned Eurosceptic who says he is in no hurry.
The reform treaty still has to be ratified in the Republic of
Ireland, where voters have rejected it once.
The treaty cannot take effect unless all 27 EU member states ratify it.
The Czech Senate voted 54-20 in favour of the treaty, aimed at
streamlining EU institutions to make them more flexible after the 27-
nation bloc's enlargement in recent years.
Its passage had depended on many members of the conservative Civic
Democratic Party (ODS) led by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek,
putting their doubts aside and backing the plan.
Some Civic Democrat senators have already vowed to send the Lisbon
Treaty back to the constitutional court.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus - perhaps the treaty's highest profile
opponent - has argued that the treaty would undermine Czech
sovereignty. He has not said when he will sign it.
Hurdles remain
Only the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Ireland have yet to
complete ratification of the treaty.
Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, another Eurosceptic, says he will
not sign the treaty until it is passed in Ireland, even though the
Polish parliament has approved it.
In Germany legal objections are delaying ratification, though
parliament has passed it.
In Ireland itself, the government plans to hold a second referendum
this year after securing sovereignty "guarantees".
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