EU to back constitution in the end: Latvia

Latvia's prime minister said Wednesday he was confident that all European Union states would eventually back a constitution even though France and the Netherlands voted down a draft last year.

"We are hoping that this constitution will be ratified sooner or later in all European Union countries," Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis, whose country ratified the document last year, said on a visit to Tokyo.

He said Latvia was open to changes on the constitution during the "reflection period" after French and Dutch voters snubbed it.

Austria has promised to draft a "road map" for the 25-nation bloc by the time its six-month presidency ends in June.

French and Dutch voters were concerned about the enlargement of the European Union and the freer movement of people within the 25-nation bloc, but could eventually change their minds, Kalvitis said.

"I think time could change their position. Because this voting was not against the constitution, this was voting because they are not feeling secure anymore," he told reporters.

"I think no one reads this document's every word," he said to laughter.

Kalvitis was in Tokyo to inaugurate a new Latvian embassy and strengthen economic and other ties. He will meet with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Taro Aso.