Duitse en Poolse leiders steunen Franse 'ja'-campagne (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - German, French and Polish leaders used Thursday's (19 May) Weimar Triangle summit in Nancy to plug the EU constitution.

French President Jacques Chirac said the constitution is aimed at cementing European security, freedoms and democracy, according to the Polish news agency PAP, while Polish head Alexander Kwasniewski indicated that a French yes would send the right signal to Poland, which might hold its own referendum this autumn.

And German chancellor Gerhard Schröder said it is "pure illusion" to think the document could be renegotiated if France votes no, with the current EU president, Jean-Claude Juncker, echoing the notion that a French "no means no" from Luxembourg.

Meanwhile, in Paris, European socialist party leaders gathered to boost support for the treaty, drawing together Josep Borrell, the Spanish president of the European Parliament, German foreign minister Joschka Fischer and former Portuguese president Mario Soares, as well as Dutch, Belgian, Danish, Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian politicians.

On top of this, a bloc of 100 French firms warned against the negative economic consequences of a no, echoing recent radio statements by the European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, that a no could spook investment capital.

British leak slates French campaign

A leaked letter by former UK Europe minister Denis MacShane slammed the French yes campaign, however, the British papers report.

Mr McShane suggested that a French no vote would be caused by inept leadership and the unpopularity of President Jacques Chirac, criticising the yes camp for "incoherence", "mixed messages" and a "lack of enthusiasm or positive argument", saying it has resorted to "crude UK-bashing arguments" instead.

The British government announced it will introduce legislation into the lower house next Tuesday to pave the way for a referendum on the EU constitution next year, reports FT Europe.

The paper adds that if the French result is negative, UK leader Tony Blair could see himself playing a significant role as an EU broker and conciliator under the upcoming British presidency of the union.

The Weimar discussions also strayed into the field of EU external and trade relations, with France and Germany calling on Brussels to take a tougher line on Chinese textile imports. Meanwhile, president Kwasniewski used the opportunity to urge the EU to help protect the Polish community in Belarus.