By Paul Taylor and Francois Murphy
PARIS (Reuters) - Polish President Lech Kaczynskicompounded the problems facing the European Union on the firstday of France's presidency of the bloc on Tuesday, saying hewill not sign the Union's reform treaty for now.
Kaczynski said it would be "pointless" signing the documentfollowing its rejection by Irish voters in a referendum on June12. The treaty, intended to overhaul the bloc's institutions,needs the backing of all 27 member states to come into force.
Kaczynski, a Eurosceptic, helped negotiate the LisbonTreaty but his party is now in opposition. Prime MinisterDonald Tusk said ratification was in Poland's interest.
Asked by the daily Dziennik if he would sign the treaty --the last step needed for full ratification in Poland -- hesaid: "This is now pointless. But it is difficult to say howthis whole thing will end."
Kaczynski's comments highlighted the problems facingPresident Nicolas Sarkozy at the start of France's six-monthtenure of the EU's rotating presidency, but Sarkozy said hebelieved Kaczynksi would ultimately honour a pledge that Polandwould ratify the treaty.
"He (Kaczynski) is a politically committed man. He is a manwho has never broken his word, and who made a commitment infront of his 26 (European) partners. I do not doubt for oneminute that this commitment will be kept," he told reporters.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner echoed his comments.
"I think Poland has decided, that it will ratify, and thatthe president, for reasons that are his business and not ours,does not want to sign for the moment. But I am more or lessconvinced that he will sign," Kouchner told France 2television.
Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the treatyshould be ratified. "We are convinced the treaty's ratificationis in Poland's best interest ... It is hard to accept asituation where Poland would be put in the same position asIreland, a very troublesome position," Tusk told a newsconference.
A senior source in Sarkozy's office said France believedKaczynski and Czech President Vaclav Klaus could be broughtaround to signing if they were told clearly there would be nofurther EU enlargement without the institutional reforms.
Both Poland and the Czech Republic wanted the EU to admitnew members in the Balkans, starting with Croatia, andeventually expand further east to embrace Ukraine. That gavethe French presidency leverage to get the treaty ratified.
"If you are saying (we) are using this as a shoe-horn, youare right," the source said.
NOT PERFECT
Poland's parliament gave the green light to the treaty inApril. Kaczynski delayed signing it but had previously saidratification by Poland was a foregone conclusion.
He compared the bloc's situation to 2005 when French andDutch voters rejected a more far-reaching EU constitution,which was later reworked into the Lisbon Treaty.
"The bloc functioned, functions and will go on functioning.It's not perfect but such a complicated structure cannot beperfect," Kaczynski said.
Irish voters rejected the Lisbon Treaty for reasons rangingfrom the fact they considered the text incomprehensible toconcerns it would bring higher taxes or legalised abortion.
The French presidential source said Sarkozy would travel toIreland on July 21 to seek a solution, noting the Irish had atradition of voting a second time after receiving assurances,as they did after rejecting the Nice Treaty in a 2001referendum.
"Wasn't it the Irish who voted again once before?" heasked.
The source said Sarkozy's priority was to keep all 27 EUcountries together rather than creating a two-speed ormulti-speed Europe as some fervent integrationists wanted.
EU leaders meeting in October are due to hear fromIreland's prime minister on how to move forward after the "No"vote.
"One way or another there will have to be a vote to get outof this. Whether it will be in parliament or a referendum andwhen, I don't know," the source said, pointing to 2009 EuropeanParliament elections as a possible deadline for a solution.
The treaty is intended to give the EU a strongerleadership, a more effective foreign policy and a fairerdecision-making system. It would create a powerful new foreignpolicy chief and a president of the European Council, itshighest political body.
The Irish "No" vote scuppered any hope of the agreementSarkozy helped broker coming into force on schedule on Jan 1.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy and Paul Taylor in Paris andGabriela Baczynska in Warsaw; Writing by Paul Taylor andTimothy Heritage; Editing by Dominic Evans)
