The Czech government said on Monday it will discuss with other European Union members how to overcome demands by President Vaclav Klaus which are holding up the introduction of the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
Klaus's refusal to sign the treaty, which has already been approved by both houses of parliament, means the Czech Republic is the only EU country yet to complete ratification of a charter meant to streamline decision-making in the 27-nation bloc.
The Eurosceptic leader stunned the EU as well as the Czech cabinet last week by saying the country must secure an opt-out from part of the treaty, which he said was necessary to protect Czechs from possible property claims by Germans expelled from the country after World War Two.
Klaus's last-minute demand is a big stumbling block towards ratification, and EU diplomats in Brussels expect Fischer to explain the Czech position there on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Jan Fischer said the government regretted Klaus did not raise his demand sooner, but was ready to seek a solution if Klaus pledges he will have no further conditions.
"The government declares its willingness to discuss a possible solution to this situation with its European partners," Fischer told a news conference.
When the treaty was being negotiated, Britain and Poland won opt-outs on the application of some of the provisions of a Charter of Fundamental Rights which will be given binding force when the Lisbon treaty is ratified.
But a similar opt-out would be difficult to secure this late in the process, because it could require new ratification in all the other EU member states. Fischer said this was impossible.
"The government is prepared to take this non-standard move, although it considers the re-opening of the ratification process in fellow EU member states impossible," he said.
EUROSCEPTICS WANT DELAY
It may be easier to secure a political declaration by EU leaders, similar to guarantees given to Ireland to eliminate fears the treaty could infringe Irish neutrality, tax and abortion rules.
A Klaus aide said on Sunday that the president wanted a strong and binding guarantee, rather than an Irish-style political declaration.
Klaus has long criticised the treaty -- which would give the EU a long-term president and a beefed-up foreign representative -- as a step towards a European superstate which will be less democratic and take sovereignty away from individual EU states.
Klaus cannot sign the treaty for now, pending a review by the Constitutional Court.
The court is expected to rule in several weeks, and most lawyers say it will clear the treaty, given it had earlier thrown out a complaint similar to the one under discussion.
Fischer said the only possibility he saw for achieving the exemptions would be at a summit of EU leaders on Oct 29-30.
The government would at the same time demand a guarantee from Klaus that he would "complete ratification without any delay" if the treaty is cleared by the court and his condition is met.
Eurosceptics are hoping Klaus could delay ratification until a British election, expected in May next year.
The opposition Conservatives, who lead opinion polls, have promised to hold a referendum on the treaty if it is not ratified by all EU states by the time they get to power. The referendum would be a huge risk for the treaty.