POLAND:THE POLISH government has played down President Lech Kaczynski's assertion that it is "pointless" for him to sign the Lisbon Treaty into law for the moment, writes Derek Scallyin Berlin
Mr Kaczynski overshadowed the first day of France's six-month EU presidency by appearing to call into question the necessity of the treaty rejected last month by Irish voters.
"It is difficult to say how all this will end. But on the other hand, to say that without the [Lisbon] treaty there won't be a union is not serious," said Mr Kaczynski to the newspaper Dziennik.
After the French and Dutch rejection of the constitutional treaty, "the union nevertheless functioned, it is functioning and will continue to function".
Yesterday afternoon, Mr Kaczynski clarified his position during a trip to Georgia, saying: "If the Irish change their mind on ratification of their own free will, not under the influence of others, then there is no impediment from the Polish side to ratification." Taking Mr Kaczynski at his word could mean that Poland will only ratify the treaty after a successful second referendum in Ireland.
That could complicate the timetable agreed last month in Brussels for the other 26 EU member states to complete ratification before returning to Ireland.
"I don't believe that this will be the case," said Mr Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, Poland's minister of state for European affairs.
"I am still cautiously optimistic that our president will consider all pros and cons of his decision, and the timing of his decision, and I hope he will deliver his signature in time and in line with Polish interests in Europe. That means not being the last in Europe."
Mr Kaczynski's remarks came as a shock to the government of prime minister Donald Tusk, Mr Kaczynski's political rival. Mr Tusk warned yesterday it would put Poland in a "troublesome position" if it did not ratify the treaty which he said was in Poland's interests. "It is hard to accept a situation where Poland would be put in the same position as Ireland," the prime minister said.
Behind the scenes in Warsaw, there is anger that Mr Kaczynski deliberately tried to make the government look foolish. Since parliamentary ratification in April, the president's advisers had assured the government that the EU-critical president would sign the ratification Bill into law.
Polish political analysts see yesterday's remarks as the latest round in a running battle the president has fought with Mr Tusk's government for greater control over foreign policy. But Mr Kaczynski has limited legal avenues for withholding his signature. If he does, Mr Tusk has already promised to ratify the treaty by referendum.
According to current polls, the treaty would receive the backing of three-quarters of Polish voters.
In Berlin yesterday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would "do everything to drive on the ratification process with France".
Germany sees no reason to change the strategy agreed last month in Brussels. "Apart from Ireland, no one has said for definite that they will not ratify," said a government spokesman. "Even Mr Kaczynski supported the treaty, even if it pained him to do so."
Some German analysts even suggested yesterday that Mr Kaczynski had increased and not reduced the pressure on Dublin to deliver on ratification.
"Kaczynski says he won't sign until the problem is solved in Ireland, making his signature dependent on how the Irish react and increasing pressure on them to act," said Jan Techau, head of Berlin's Alfred von Oppenheim Centre for European Studies.