Prague - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country has not ratified the European Union's troubled reform treaty, was cautious Monday about the pact's future after Irish voters rejected it.

Topolanek's signal of hesitation came after he met his counterparts from Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In contrast, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed support for the Lisbon Treaty.

All four Central European leaders agreed that the Irish vote should not hamper further enlargement, particularly Croatia's bid to join the EU.

"Croatia should not fall a victim to the process," Topolanek said, conceding that current EU agreements hamper the bloc's enlargement.

The Czech Republic is one of eight EU members that have yet to ratify the treaty, meant to streamline decision-making in the enlarged 27-member EU.

Topolanek likened Sunday's defeat in Ireland to French voters' rejection of a draft EU constitution, which helped scupper that attempt to make the European Union act more like one nation.

"We are all cautious," Topolanek told reporters after meeting his fellow leaders. "We want to sit down at the European Council and find a short-term solution and of course a way forward."

"We can't pretend that a few million Irish carry less importance in the decision-making process than a larger number of French citizens," he said.

While the Czech premier has been leery, Czech President Vaclav Klaus, an outspoken EU critic, rushed to interpret the Irish vote as the end to the ratification process, prompting fears that Topolanek's eurosceptic governing Civic Democrats could kill the pact.

Senators from Topolanek's party put the treaty's ratification in the Czech Republic on hold in April when they asked the country's top court to review whether it is in line with the Czech constitution.

"We do not have to decide whether to suspend ratification or not. We have effectively already interrupted it," Topolanek said when pressed to give a clear stance on the treaty's ratification future.

Hungary and Slovakia have already ratified the treaty, while in Poland the pact awaits a signature by President Lech Kaczynski.

"It would be good for the president to sign it as soon as possible," Tusk said. Kaczynski has promised to sign the treaty regardless of the Irish referendum's result.

Topolanek was also expected to discuss the Lisbon Treaty's future with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was visiting Prague Monday.

France is due to take over EU's rotating presidency from Slovenia on July 1, then hand it over to the Czech Republic for the first six months of 2009.

Prague was to preside over EU at a time when the bloc was to begin overhauling its institutions in line with the pact, but "it is clear that the Lisbon Treaty will not come to force as of January 1, 2009," Topolanek said. (dpa)