Outgoing PM calls on senators to ratify Lisbon treaty

Outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek has urged senators to ratify the Lisbon reform treaty in a vote due on May 6th. Speaking in a TV debate, Mr. Topolánek said a failure to ratify the treaty could cause a major rift within the EU and serve as an excuse for some countries to halt further EU enlargement. He said the Czechs would find themselves side-lined and would find it hard to recover their lost credit. In his strongest endorsement of the treaty to date, the outgoing prime minister said that although he himself had some reservations about the treaty, it was vital to ratify it if the Czech Republic wanted to be a member of the European community. He called on senators who were reluctant to support the treaty to leave the assembly hall ahead of the vote. The treaty was approved by the lower house of Parliament in February.