Luxembourg - There is no easy way to solve the crisis thrown up by Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, but a solution will be found, European Union foreign ministers insisted Monday.

"I don't have any solutions. We're going to listen to (Irish foreign) minister (Micheal) Martin - maybe he has a solution. But certainly we're going to wait, think, analyse, consult and we must respect the vote that's taken place," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who chaired the meeting, said.

"It's far too early for any solutions or proposals: as the first step we're undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the situation, that will inform our way forward," a strained-looking Martin said.

On Thursday, Ireland held a referendum on the EU's new Lisbon Treaty, which is meant to streamline the 27-member bloc's decision- making process and boost its global influence.

Results released Friday showed that 53.4 per cent of voters had rejected the treaty, meaning that Ireland cannot ratify it, and that the treaty cannot therefore come into effect anywhere in the EU.

The vote caused dismay in Europe, with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb saying "the whole process started in May 2000 ... and here we are eight years later still trying to struggle to get the treaty through. The challenges that we face have gone nowhere."

EU leaders were quick to reject the idea that the treaty would never come into force.

"I don't think the treaty is dead ... Enlargement will not stop, the process of European unification and integration will not stop," Stubb said.

They also said that the eight EU states which have not yet ratified the treaty should do so despite the Irish no.

But few officials on Monday were willing to say how they thought the EU could solve the problem.

"The EU will continue and solve this problem. I don't know how we'll solve it practically, but we'll solve it, no doubt," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.

Only Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn proposed a partial solution, saying that the EU should write a declaration reassuring the Irish that the treaty would not impact on their abortion laws, tax legislation or neutrality - three issues which were of key concern ahead of Thursday's vote. (dpa)