Czechs resist pressure to ratify EU treaty

By Jan Lopatka

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic resisted pressure on Monday to go ahead with ratifying the European Union's reform treaty after its defeat by Irish voters, and said it would keep options open on how to proceed.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who met the prime ministers of four central European EU states in Prague, has led calls for the ratification process to continue around Europe despite Ireland's "No" vote last week.

In the Czech Republic, one of nine EU countries which have not ratified the pact, eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus and some others in his ruling Civic Democratic Party said the Irish vote meant the treaty was dead and should be abandoned.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, a Civic Democrat who signed the treaty for the Czech Republic, said there could be no hurrying a decision on how to go forward but it was clear the treaty would not enter force on January 1 next year as planned.

"The discussion here is whether in case of the Irish 'No' it is even possible and legitimate to continue ratification," Topolanek said after talks with Sarkozy.

He said the Irish vote had to be respected the same way the French and Dutch referenda which killed a previous pact in 2005.

The Civic Democrats have sent the treaty to the Constitutional Court, expected to rule on it around September.

"Fortunately we do not have to solve this problem, because at present the process is halted here by the deliberations of the Constitutional Court," Topolanek said.