Alarm in UK at German plan to create Europe's 'inner core'

LONDON - Deep divisions are opening up between London, Paris and Berlin over the way to proceed with the EU constitution, with Germany and France still seeking to go ahead with ratification of the treaty and Britain insisting a fresh start has to be made.

Jack Straw, Britain's Foreign Secretary, is expected to announce to the House of Commons on Monday that no further progress can be made on the Bill to facilitate the referendum in Britain because of uncertainty in the wake of "no" votes in France and the Netherlands.

There is alarm in London at reports the Germans have floated again the idea of creating an inner core in the EU which could go ahead with ratification of the treaty in spite of the "no" votes.

The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, and Jacques Chirac, the French President, will hold bilateral talks tomorrow to prepare their strategy for the EU council.

Despite being on holiday in Tuscany, Tony Blair has spoken over the telephone with EU leaders to prepare for the crisis talks over the future of Europe. They included the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso who insisted the treaty was not dead.
Mr Blair, who takes over the EU presidency at the end of the month, is to meet Mr Schroder and M. Chirac prior to the EU summit and the G8 at Gleneagles.

Blair allies yesterday lined up to pronounce the treaty dead.

Lord Kinnock, the former EU commissioner, said: "What do we vote on? A non-existent treaty? ... I heard what Jose Manuel Barroso said that countries should go ahead - go ahead on what?"

Stephen Byers, a former cabinet minister and trusted friend of the Prime Minister, accused the French and Germans of "institutional arrogance" over their determination to press ahead with ratification.

"This treaty is now dead," he said.

Liam Fox, the shadow Foreign Secretary, warned against trying to implement parts of the treaty "by the back door", while Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesman, said the ditching of the referendum was inevitable, but said the need for reform of the EU would soon become "acute".

- INDEPENDENT