Ierland start serie bilaterale Grondwet-overleggen (en)

The Irish Presidency's efforts to break the deadlock on the Constitution begin in earnest today as the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern receives Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt in Dublin.

Mr Ahern will then travel to Berlin to on Friday to meet German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, reports the Irish media.

Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac yesterday pledged French support for the Irish efforts in its "difficult task".

Mr Chirac told Mr Ahern by telephone yesterday, "France is prepared to participate in such contacts and thus help the Irish Presidency in its task of evaluating the possibilities for progress", according to the Associated Press.

The Taoiseach also spoke to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller yesterday. Mr Miller confirmed that he would visit Dublin at the end of the month.

Spanish and Polish opposition to a proposed new system of voting weights in the EU was the reason for the breakdown on talks at an EU summit in December.

Mr Ahern will have his work cut out to mediate between these two countries and the Franco-German axis. Berlin and Paris also refused to move on the issue of voting weights and have threatened to forge ahead with European integration if a Constitution is not agreed.