Sarkozy says Ireland should vote again

A week can be a very long time in politics as everyone knows, but at least it gives leaders the chance to neatly backtrack on, or revise what they've previously said.

Such is the case with the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who just last week told the members of the European Parliament that he would use the next six month's of France's term at the helm of the European Union to find a solution to June's "no" vote by Ireland of the Lisbon treaty.

Now it turns out he's putting pressure on the Irish to vote again - and get it right second time around, or else.

"The Irish must vote again and I shall use a veto against any enlargement unless there's a reform of the (EU's) institutions", he said on Tuesday.

That's quite a development in the space of less than seven days - even by Sarkozy's standards.

Last week he said that a solution to the impasse had to be found, but gave no concrete proposals how that might be achieved

"I will go to Ireland on 21 July to listen and talk and try to find solutions," he told MEPs.

"The French presidency will propose a method and, I hope, a solution will be found by either in October or in December."

Perhaps his latest comments, which came during a lunchtime reception held at his official residence, the Elysée palace, for members of the governing centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire, Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) are Sarkozy's ideas of "proposing a method".

But many here in France and abroad will surely interpret it as cack-handed, bully boy tactics, forcing the Irish to vote again until they deliver the result that everyone else wants.

October and December are the two occasions on which the 27 heads of state and government will meet to try to find a more "diplomatic" solution to the dilemma in which the EU now finds itself.

On the table are possible concessions to the Irish such as a reassurance that the EU will not try to come up with any all-encompassing policy on abortion and also make a further assurance to guarantee Ireland's neutrality.

While the ratification process is proceeding (gradually) in the other 26 member states, the EU might have to wait until next June for the full endorsement of the Lisbon treaty

That's when voters throughout Europe will go to the polls to elect a new European parliament and some commentators here have suggested that it could be the ideal time for the Irish to piggyback another attempt at ratification.

The Lisbon treaty was the compromise to the proposed EU Constitution, rejected by both French and Dutch voters in 2005

Its purpose is to streamline EU decision-making following the enlargement of the bloc to 27 members, and create a new EU president and foreign affairs chief.

But before it can come into force, it needs to be ratified by all 27 member states.

Only Ireland is constitutionally bound to hold referendum on the treaty.

Sarkozy is due to visit Ireland on July 21.