EU asks Ireland to fix treaty problem, vows unity (Roundup)

Luxembourg - European Union governments called for calm and unity in the face of crisis, but said it was up to Ireland to find a solution to the fallout caused by its no to the Lisbon Treaty. Meeting Monday for the first time since Irish voters rejected the bloc's proposed new rules, EU foreign ministers resisted calls for a 'two-speed Europe', whereby only willing member states would go ahead with closer integration. Instead, they declared the Lisbon Treaty 'alive' and said they should be given time to think things through. 'We must find a way to unblock the current situation together with Ireland,' said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country many turn to during times of crises. 'We won't find a solution overnight,' he added. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country assumes the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1, said that despite the Irish no, the ratification process should continue. Summing up Monday's discussions, British Foreign Minister David Miliband said three broad themes had emerged: 'Respect for the Irish vote; recognition that the Irish government has asked for some time to analyse the result and decide the next move; and a commitment that Europe needs to stick together.' And while Austria's Ursula Plassnik said it would be unfair to corner Ireland, Denmark's Per Stig Moeller said that since the Irish government had signed the treaty, it was now up to her to find a solution. The reform treaty was agreed by governments after two years of wrangling following a botched attempt to create a more ambitious EU constitution. But it was rejected on Thursday by 53.4 per cent of the Irish voters who took part in the country's referendum, thus throwing the bloc into a period of confusion and uncertainty. Though 18 national parliaments have already said yes to Lisbon, the treaty cannot come into force until it is ratified by all 27 member states. 'The whole process started in May 2000 ... and here we are eight years later still struggling to get the treaty through. The challenges that we face have gone nowhere,' complained Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb. The EU executive has commissioned a survey to try and find out what went wrong in Ireland, and most ministers concurred on Monday that Dublin would know best. 'There will not be any attempt from the outside, from member states or from Brussels, to influence or push the Irish government in some way,' said Latvia's Maris Riekstins. 'Further action and decisions will only be possible once the Irish themselves come out with their vision of how they intend to go further,' he added. So far, no one has openly called for the creation of an expanded two-speed Europe, along the lines of the common currency (the euro) and free-movement area (Schengen), both of which are used in some, but not all, member states. 'It is hard to imagine that a two-speed Europe could be created in questions such as decision-making procedures and the institutions,' Riekstins noted. The Slovenian presidency of the EU acknowledged that there could not be any solutions until the Irish vote had been thought over and analysed. One possible outcome aired by Luxembourg's Jean Asselborn was holding a new referendum in Ireland, once the country has been reassured that the treaty will not limit its sovereignty in key areas such as taxation, abortion and defence. Nevertheless, 'nobody from the Irish side is talking about that at the moment,' Riekstins said. The fallout from the Irish vote is to be discussed by EU leaders at their regular summer summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.