Spanish foreign minister Friday called on his compatriots to vote "yes" in the February 20 referendum on the European Union (EU)'s first Constitution.

It is necessary that the Spanish people give a "positive sign" to the Europe, because Spain is seen as the vanguard of the European Union, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters after a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

On Friday, the council authorized Prime Minister Jose RodriguezZapatero to sign the Constitutional Treaty on Oct. 29 in Rome, Italy.

Zapatero has said that he hopes Spain will become the first EU country to ratify the constitution through the vote.

Moratinos said the referendum will be the best message the Spanish people send in the interests of Spain and the Europe.

In June, EU members agreed on a draft text of the bloc's first constitution, which aims to make decision-making easier in the recently expanded bloc. It also foresees the creation of a president and a foreign minister for the European Union.

Every nation of the 25-member bloc has to approve the EU document for it to take effect, a process expected to take at least 18 months.

Last week, a survey for the newspaper El Mundo by pollsters Sigma Dos showed 36.5 percent of those interviewed would back the constitution and 3.2 percent would reject it. But 42.6 percent said they were undecided and 17.6 percent planned not to vote.

Source: Xinhua