Helsinki  - Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said Friday he hoped for a "creative solution" in the wake of what appears to be an Irish no to the EU reform treaty.

Stubb, attending a party conference in the city of Tampere, told Finnish news agency STT that the likely no-vote in Ireland was "a major setback."

The foreign minister added that new negotiations on the content of the treaty were unlikely.

The Finnish parliament on Wednesday approved the Lisbon Treaty with a clear majority. (dpa)