PARIS, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A leading French leftist says he will oppose approval of the European Constitution unless the nation's president takes steps to cut unemployment.
Laurent Fabius, a former Socialist prime minister and now a presidential hopeful, said Thursday he would begin a "no" campaign unless Jacques Chirac's center-right government lobbies its neighbors for policies that stem job losses to Eastern Europe, the International Herald Tribune reported Friday.
However, opponents in Fabius' own party accuse him of endangering a treaty that aims to streamline the newly enlarged European Union -- all for his own political benefit.
For example, the current head of the traditionally pro-European Socialist Party, Francois Hollande, who is another potential presidential candidate, says he will support the constitution unconditionally.
Throwing his weight behind the party's "no" camp allows Fabius to differentiate himself from Hollande and turn the party's internal vote in November on where they stand on the constitution into an effective leadership contest, analysts say.
The European constitution needs to be ratified in all 25 member states, and at least nine countries have pledged to hold referendums. Chirac said the French could vote on the treaty in the second half of next year.
