By George Parker in Brussels and Guy Dinmore in Washington
Published: June 1 2005 22:51 | Last updated: June 1 2005 22:51
Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg, holder of the rotating EU presidency, led a chorus of demands that the overwhelming rejection of the treaty by France and the Netherlands should not stop the process.
"We want the other member states to have the opportunity to tackle the same debate," he said.
The official line was trotted out across Europe's capitals. Gerhard Schr�der, German chancellor, said: "I am convinced the ratification must continue." Meanwhile Jacques Chirac, French president, seemed keen for other leaders to share his pain, pointing out that 14 countries had still not given their verdict on the constitution.
"While 11 countries have already come to a decision, it is the responsibility of all the other member states of the Union to have their say," Mr Chirac's office said. Mr Juncker is desperately trying to hold that line until the EU summit of June 16-17, when leaders can express their true feelings behind closed doors.
In Washington, behind the Bush administration's public declarations that it favours "a strong Europe", there is widespread relief and considerable satisfaction that the French and Dutch people voted No and, in particular, that Mr Chirac has been humbled.
US officials deny that President George W. Bush and his cabinet were opposed to the proposed treaty. But neither do they say that they supported it, arguing that this was an internal European issue that the US should not meddle in.
"The US wants a strong Europe as a partner, because there is work to be done in the world that requires union of strength based on our common values," a senior State Department official said. He insisted that Mr Bush had never said whether he supported the constitution.
Just hours earlier, however, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European commissioner for external relations, said in Washington that Mr Bush and Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, had clearly supported adoption of the treaty when visiting Brussels in February. But she admitted that US officials had not showed "great enthusiasm". Conservative commentators have not been shy in denouncing the constitution, gloating over the French rejection.
Analysts said this was the prevailing private view within the administration that it was happy with the status quo, that while it saw advantages in European enlargement to include Turkey and the Balkan states, and eventually Ukraine, there was no interest in a united Europe run by a less democratic process in Brussels.
There was also a keen delight in seeing Mr Chirac taken down a notch, a split developing between France and Germany, and a favour done to Tony Blair, the UK prime minister and closest US ally.
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