Czech President Vaclav Klaus raised a new obstacle to the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty today, telling EU president Sweden he wants a footnote added to the document before signing it into force, Reuters reported. Polish President Lech Kaczynski will sign the treaty on Saturday, an aide said, leaving Klaus as the only EU state leader holding out against ratifying the treaty to give the 27-nation bloc more influence in world affairs The treaty's backers say failure to secure Klaus's signature would plunge the EU into crisis, potentially paralysing the bloc as it tackles a deep economic crisis and power shifts towards China and other emerging powers. "I spoke by phone today with President Klaus ... In order to sign the treaty, Klaus asked for a footnote of two sentences concerning, as I understand, the charter of fundamental rights," Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt told Reuters by telephone. Reinfeldt said Klaus wanted his footnote to the charter of fundamental human rights, which is part of the Lisbon treaty, adopted by EU leaders. "I told him this is the wrong message at the wrong time for the EU. I told him clearly it is his ink on the paper that counts and I don't want this to delay the treaty going through as soon as possible," he said.
