Treaty has to be ratified by each member state before enlargement

The Nice Treaty must be ratified by all member states before enlargement of the European Union can happen, the French President Mr Jacques Chirac said in a statement issued by his spokeswoman yesterday.

Since Ireland voted No in the referendum last week, French opponents of the treaty have claimed that enlargement could be achieved even if what they consider a botched agreement were scrapped. French authorities consider this argument dangerous and irresponsible.

"Our goal naturally remains the entry into force of the treaty before the end of 2002, which is necessary for enlargement to take place," Mr Chirac said. He and the Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, shared responsibility for overseeing negotiations at the Nice summit last December.

The Irish rejection of the Treaty "is, of course, a disappointment", Mr Chirac said. "But I remain confident in the capacity of the European Union to overcome this difficulty."

Solutions could be found, Mr Chirac continued. "There are precedents." French officials believe that addenda recognising Ireland's military neutrality and right to ban abortion could make it possible for Dublin to ratify the treaty, much as Denmark eventually ratified the Maastricht Treaty.

To find the solutions, Mr Chirac said, it was necessary to understand the reasons for the Irish No. France was waiting for guidance from the Dublin Government. "I am reassured by statements by the Irish Prime Minister, who reiterated his commitment to the treaty and to enlargement," Mr Chirac added.

To reassure the 12 candidate countries "of our determination to carry out enlargement within the foreseen time limits" it was essential that ratification procedures continued in other member states, Mr Chirac concluded.

The French National Assembly is to vote on the treaty today.