Second EU vote would damage Ireland says minister

By Mark John

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe must press on with ratifying the EU reform treaty and insist that Ireland resolve the impasse created by its "No" vote, officials and commentators said on Saturday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the rejection should not spark a crisis and confirmed that Prime Minister Gordon Brown had assured him he would defy British Eurosceptics and pursue endorsement of the EU reform pact.

"Today, 18 European states have ratified. The others must continue to ratify ... so that this Irish incident does not become a crisis," Sarkozy told a news conference with U.S. President George W. Bush in Paris.

Others also interpreted Britain's swift pledge on Friday to pursue ratification as a sign it would back a joint effort by France and Germany to salvage the pact, known as the Lisbon treaty, during the French Presidency of the EU later this year.

That would be in sharp contrast to 2005, when "No" votes in founder EU members France and the Netherlands sounded the deathknell for the planned EU constitution which the Lisbon treaty was drafted to replace.

"This time the scenario is radically different," said Belgium's Le Soir in an editorial. "The idea is to completely isolate Ireland."

Some differed, with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker telling German radio the rejection showed it was time to press on with a "Club of the Few" countries most enthusiastic about forging joint EU policies.

"STUFF THE IRISH"?