Poland to Sign EU Treaty, Czech President Demands Footnotes

The office of Polish President Lech Kaczynski says he is set to sign the European Union reform treaty, leaving the Czech Republic as the last remaining holdout.

Mr. Kaczynski's office announced Thursday that the signing would take place Saturday at a ceremony attended by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

But Czech President Vaclav Klaus is putting up more resistance to the reform treaty.

The EU's Swedish Presidency says Mr. Klaus wants to add a two-sentence footnote to a part of the charter pertaining to fundamental rights before signing it. The content of the proposed note was not immediately clear.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner immediately rejected the idea.

Mr. Klaus has been reluctant to approve the so-called Lisbon Treaty, citing concerns that the reforms, meant to streamline EU decision making, would diminish Czech sovereignty.


Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.