Voters in Luxembourg briefly revived the European constitution on Sunday when they strongly endorsed the measure weeks after emphatic "no" votes in France and Holland.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister who had threatened to resign if the Grand Duchy had voted the same way, emerged triumphant after the constitution was approved by 56.52 percent to 43.48 percent.
As an arch-federalist, Juncker immediately attempted to use the results to keep the debate alive.
"If Luxembourg had said `no' the constitution would have been dead," he declared on Sunday night.
As Luxembourg has said "yes" the process can go ahead. There is a way for the European constitution to be adopted.
"If Luxembourg had said `no,' Europe would have been in an ultra-serious crisis. Now that Luxembourg has voted `yes,' Europe is still in crisis, but there is a silver lining," he said.
The Luxembourg prime minister earlier concluded that French and Dutch "no" votes were not a rejection of the constitution but were motivated by other concerns. On Sunday he appeared to suggest that only Luxembourg has a veto.
However, Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, offered Juncker some hope Sunday night when he hailed the vote as "a strong signal" that most European countries support the constitution.
Every other EU member to have approved the constitution has relied on a parliamentary vote, except for Spain. Barroso balanced his upbeat language by admitting that the future of the constitution is "uncertain."
Choosing his words carefully German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder said: "It is an encouragement and invitation to all Europeans to seek joint ways of quickly overcoming the current crisis."
The remarks reflect the private view of many European leaders who believe it is all but impossible to see how the constitution can survive the double rejection by voters in France and the Netherlands on May 29 and June 1.
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