Leaders in Deal on Europe’s Charter - New York Times

Excerpt:
"In a deal reached at 4:30 in the morning here, the leaders of the 27 members of the European Union agreed today to negotiate a treaty by the end of this year to replace the defunct constitution.

The breakthrough on the plan, which calls for the new treaty to be ratified by mid-2009, came after Poland stepped back from a dramatic threat to veto any agreement, prompting a counterthreat from Germany, which held the chairmanship of the meeting, that it would continue negotiations without Warsaw.

At the height of tension during two days of tense diplomacy here, a last-minute meeting and telephone calls organized by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany helped to convince Poland’s leaders that their intransigence could leave them isolated."

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