Claude Juncker, who had announced his intention to resign from the office he has held since 1995 in the event of a 'no' vote, welcomed the result, saying it showed that the European Constitution would continue to remain on the bloc's agenda. "If Luxembourg had voted no today, then that would have signalled the final shot in the neck for the constitution treaty," he said. E.U. Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso said the positive outcome sent a "strong signal" to the rest of Europe. Luxembourg is the thirteenth country to ratify the treaty, meaning that a majority of the 25 E.U. member states now support the constitution. Luxembourg decided to proceed with the planned ballot despite agreement by member states at last month's E.U. summit to take a year-long cooling off period in an effort to alleviate the growing crisis over the constitution. The No votes in France and the Netherlands also persuaded several E.U. states to postpone referendums on the issue. --SP 2227 Local Time 1927 GMT
