Polish president: signing EU treaty pointless

The Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, today dealt another blow to the troubled European Union's reform treaty, claiming that signing it would be "pointless" because of Ireland's no vote last month.

The Lisbon treaty, which is aimed at reforming cumbersome EU institutions, has to be ratified by all 27 countries of the union.

Poland's parliament approved the document in April, but Kaczynski also needs to sign it off.

Speaking to the Polish daily newspaper Dziennik, Kaczynski suggested signing the treaty was futile.

"This is now pointless. But it is difficult to say how this whole thing will end," he told Reuters.

He compared Europe's current dilemma to the crisis following the French and Dutch rejections of the previous European constitution in 2005.

But Kaczynski added: "The bloc functioned, functions and will go on functioning. It's not perfect but such a complicated structure cannot be perfect."

His comments come on the opening day of the French presidency of the European Union. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is determined to salvage the treaty.

He is planning to travel to Dublin later this month in an attempt to placate Irish voters' concerns.