The European Union's constitution is still alive despite plans by Britain to suspend a referendum on the treaty, Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld said Monday.

"The position taken by the British does not change anything," Rotfeld told a press conference in Warsaw following a high-level meeting of Polish officials to reflect on the embattled EU constitutional treaty following last week's rejections of the treaty by Dutch and French voters.

"The British have delayed the ratification process, not renounced the treaty. The constitutional treaty is not dead," he said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was due Monday to formally announce in parliament that Britain was suspending plans to organise a referendum on the EU constitution to allow more time for debate following the French and Dutch rejections of the treaty, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair told AFP.

"I have spoken with Jack Straw and he told me that Britain was waiting to find out how the French and Dutch plan to proceed to come into line with those countries which accept the treaty," said Rotfeld.

Ten EU member states have voted in favour of the constitutional treaty.

"The British initially sped up the ratification process to help France. Now they have suspended it but that does not necessarily mean they have rejected it.

"The constitution is the topic of lively debate. A decision on the way to move forward together towards validation of the treaty will be taken in Luxembourg on June 16 and 17," he said.

Polish officials have said they will put the constitution to a popular vote, but parliament has to first approve the measure.

Rotfeld said he backed the idea of holding a referendum in Poland on October 9, when Poles are due to vote in the first round of a presidential election.