EUROPEAN Community leaders welcomed the French vote on the Maastricht
Treaty, but there was disappointment at the narrow result, and warnings
that it might take time to repair the damage done to the European cause
.
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said that the vote was ''a new boost''
for Europe and he pledged to work now to expand the EC.
Chancellor Kohl, who had campaigned on French television for support
for a European union, said he expected other EC countries to ratify the
treaty in time to take effect on January 1, 1993.
He emphasised that the debates leading up to the narrow ''yes''
victory showed politicians must pay more attention to citizens' worries
about losing their national identities to an uncontrolled Brussels
bureaucracy.
Other German leaders, while greeting the French result with relief,
warned that Britain remained a large hurdle on the road to further
European integration.
Mr Karl Lamers, foreign policy spokesman for Chancellor Kohl's
Christian Democrats in parliament, said of the British situation:
''Without a doubt, Major and Lamont have been put in a very difficult
position by the devaluation. The Maastricht opponents have got a big
boost.''
The Dutch government welcomed the result, but expressed concern at the
narrow majority.
Deputy Foreign Minister Piet Dankert said he was satisfied with the
result.
However, he added: ''The feeling is sombre. The problem is that it is
a very small majority, and does not get us in the clear.
''The concern is that the British will still have problems with
getting Maastricht approved, the Danish as well.''
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jacques Poos said that the French
''yes'' blocked the way to nationalist trends that were threatening
European ''solidarity.''
The Spanish government said the ''yes'' victory would strengthen
European Community unity and stabilise erratic financial markets.
''The Government believes co-operation between Community members will
be reinforced and the foreign exchange markets will calm down,'' it
said.
''European union has consolidated an important step forward today.''
Denmark, which rejected the Maastricht treaty in June, said the French
vote was likely to help its cause.
''I think it should now be easier for Denmark to obtain a special
arrangement with the European Community. The European landscape today is
totally different from what it was in early June,'' said Foreign
Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen.
Greek Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis ruled out a drachma
devaluation after the French ''yes.''
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