Poland's parliament speaker says ratification of EU constitution to be rapid

Poland's parliament speaker Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said Friday that he believed his country will endorse the European Union (EU) constitution as soon as possible despite an EU decision to extend the ratification deadline.

Cimoszewicz said that a decision on how to ratify the treaty inPoland would be made after his meeting with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Prime Minster Marek Belka, the Polish News Agency reported.

Poland, which joined the EU in May 2004, wants to ratify the constitution to show the 25-member union has a long-term future.

If Poland joins the rank with France and the Netherlands to reject the charter, it would be an "awful" mistake. It will also be held accountable for the EU's political failure, said Cimoszewicz.

To avoid paying extra prices, Poland shall ratify the EU treatyas soon as possible, he added.

Asked when a referendum might possibly be held, the speaker said the most advisable date would be October 9 when the presidential election is to take place. Such a choice would ensurea high voter turnout for the referendum.

He noted that if Poland is to ratify the EU treaty through a referendum, the parliament should pass related laws at its next session. However, so far, he has not put the issue on the agenda.

Poles' support for the constitution is declining after French and Dutch voted down the constitution.

In the latest survey, 43 percent of those polled said they would support the treaty, while 24 percent were against it, a 17 percentage-point decline among the supporters since May and a 10-point increase for opponents.

The EU leaders agreed Thursday to extend the November 2006 deadline for ratifying the EU constitution -- without deciding on a new date -- to allow each country to take stock after the doubleballot blow.

Source: Xinhua