EU ministers say treaty not dead after Irish 'no'

Luxembourg: European Union foreign ministers said on Monday they would keep the EU reform treaty alive despite Ireland's "no" vote, but conceded they had no quick fixes for rescuing it.

Their monthly meeting in Luxembourg was a first opportunity for EU officials to start picking up the pieces after Thursday's Irish referendum cast doubt over the survival of a pact meant to bolster the EU's economic and political weight in the world.

EU leaders will want to hear from Prime Minister Brian Cowen at a summit in Brussels later this week whether he sees any hope of winning a new referendum, a step Irish officials have not ruled out but which they believe is a high-risk strategy.

France led nations arguing that the EU had damaged its cause by failing to respond to public anger over rising food and fuel prices, with some fearing the bloc's image would suffer a further blow if this week's summit did not look at the issue.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin insisted it was "far too early" for proposals on salvaging a treaty which will not now come into force on January 1 as planned.

"The people's decision has to be respected and we have to chart a way through. There are no quick fix solutions," he said.

By now, Dublin's 26 partners are not taking "no" for an answer. Almost all except the wavering Czechs say ratification should continue in the bloc.

"The treaty is not dead. The EU is in constant crisis management - we go from one crisis to another and finally we find a solution," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said, noting the bloc had dealt with past voter setbacks.

But British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: "There will be no bulldozing of the Irish government or the Irish people."