The French head of state, who was speaking Tuesday during a closed door meeting with lawmakers from the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, said the results of the June 12 referendum in Ireland should not be allowed to derail the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon.
"The Irish will have to take another vote on the treaty and I will veto any enlargement of the European Union as there will be no new institutions to handle an expanded bloc," the president was quoted as saying by a number of participants.
In addition, the head of state also outlined his priority areas that he intended to advance during his EU presidency. This, according to numerous sources, included the European immigration and asylum pact, which was approved by EU countries last week.
The head of state is also expected to push forward his proposal on capping value added tax on oil and oil products, an idea that is opposed vehemently by a section of the 27 EU member states, including Germany.
Ireland, which is the only European country to have submitted the European treaty to a referendum so far, saw the proposed text rejected by more that 53 percent of voters on June 12, in a move that threw the European Union into a constitutional crisis.
Addressing the European Parliament last week, President Sarkozy, who is scheduled to travel to Ireland on July 21, had indicated that he hoped to propose a viable solution to the Irish crisis "in either October or December".
"There is need to ensure that we do not upset the Irish and at the same time know under what conditions and with what treaty we are going to organize the European elections planned for June 2009," he told EU lawmakers, adding: "There is still some little time left, but not much."
In his speech, the French head of state was quick to reassure the EU parliament that he intended to "leave no one behind" and that a "multi-speed Europe could only be a last resort".
On his part, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso Tuesday in Rome said he did not expect that other countries will follow the example set by Irish voters by rejecting the Treaty of Lisbon.
"I hope that all countries will ratify the treaty and then we will discuss with our Irish friends to find a solution and move forward," Barroso was quoted as saying by the Italian media.
Barroso's sentiments were echoed by Polish President Lech Kaczynski who has reaffirmed that his country "will not block" the adoption of the European treaty as earlier feared.
In June, the president, who comes across as nationalist sometimes, had caused uproar when he refused to sign the treaty saying that he could only do so after it's approved in a new referendum by Ireland.
