GERMANY: The Foreign Ministers of Poland and Germany have said they are prepared to make additional compromises to break the deadlock over the constitutional treaty.
The Polish Foreign Minister, Mr Wlodzimierz Cimoszewic, said Poland was "open to arguments that perhaps have not yet been discussed and open for practical solutions" on vote weighting.
"We understand the problem of our partner, but also expect understanding for our position," said Mr Cimoszewic in Berlin yesterday after meeting his German counterpart, Mr Joschka Fischer.
No progress was made on bridging the issues in dispute but the two ministers reiterated their desire for compromise and that they favour a swift agreement, if possible during the Irish Presidency of the EU.
"The task is to achieve a resilient compromise," said Mr Fischer. Poland and Spain are anxious to retain their 25 votes each at the Council of Ministers, just two votes short of Germany, which has a population larger than the two countries combined.
The two ministers will meet again tomorrow with the French Foreign Minister, Mr Dominique de Villepin, as part of their "Weimar Triangle" relations.
Yesterday's meeting, particularly Mr Cimoszweic's remark that Warsaw "understands its responsibility for a solution", suggests that Poland has moved on from its "Nice or die" position in Brussels to reject any changes to voting weights.
Warsaw has said it will launch a public debate next month to explain the constitution to voters, suggesting they are preparing the ground for a compromise.