EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN MINISTERS SATURDAY WARNED THE BLOC'S CRISIS OVER THE STALLED CONSTITUTION AND BITTER WRANGLES OVER FURTHER ENLARGEMENT COULD CONTINUE THROUGH 2009, DPA REPORTED. MEETING EXACTLY ONE YEAR AFTER VOTERS IN FRANCE AND THE NETHERLANDS REJECTED A LANDMARK CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY, THE 25 EU MINISTERS WERE BLUNT IN ADMITTING LITTLE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN A SELF-IMPOSED 12-MONTH "PERIOD OF REFLECTION." MANY INSISTED THEY NEEDED AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR TO OVERCOME DEEP DIFFERENCES OVER THE FUTURE OF THE DEFEATED TREATY WHICH CAN ONLY ENTER INTO FORCE IF IT IS APPROVED BY ALL 25 MEMBER STATES. FRANCE AND THE NETHERLANDS ARE SPEARHEADING DEMANDS THAT THE BLOC REFRAIN FROM MOVES TO REVIVE THE CONSTITUTION IN ITS PRESENT FORM. BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE ALSO LINKED THEIR VOTERS NIXING OF THE TREATY WITH PUBLIC FEARS OVER TOO-HASTY EU ENLARGEMENT. HOWEVER, GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL HAS VOWED TO RESURRECT THE CONSTITUTION DURING BERLIN'S EU PRESIDENCY NEXT YEAR. HOPING TO BRIDGE THE DIVIDE, THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION - THE EU'S EXECUTIVE ARM - HAS SUGGESTED THAT CERTAIN PARTS OF THE TREATY, COVERING AREAS SUCH AS REINFORCED POLICE COOPERATION, COULD BE IMPLEMENTED PENDING ITS FORMAL IMPLEMENTATION. HOWEVER, SUCH "CHERRY-PICKING" HAS BEEN REJECTED BY GERMANY AND SEVERAL OTHER GOVERNMENTS. "THERE IS NO AGREED WAY FORWARD," SAID GEOFF HOON, BRITISH MINISTER OF STATE FOR EUROPE. "IT IS IMPORTANT WE TAKE SOME TIME TO GET IT RIGHT," HE ADDED. DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER BERNARD BOT TOLD REPORTERS EU GOVERNMENTS MUST EXTEND THE BLOC'S CURRENT "PERIOD OF RELECTION" OVER THE TREATY BY AT LEAST ONE YEAR. GIVING FURTHER DETAILS, LUXEMBOURG'S FOREIGN MINISTER JEAN ASSELBORN CALLED FOR DRAWING UP A ROADMAP BY NEXT YEAR AIMED AT CLINCHING A CONSTITUTION FOR 2009. THIS ECHOED A SIMILAR STATEMENT BY LUXEMBOURG'S PRIME MINISTER JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER - ONE OF THE EU'S MOST ARDENT SUPPORTERS - WHO SAID EARLIER THIS MONTH SAID THERE WAS NO WAY A NEW CONSTITUTION COME INTO FORCE BEFORE "2009 OR 2010 AT THE EARLIEST."
