(Xinhua) -- Only three days before a crucial European Union summit in Brussels, President Nicolas Sarkozy continued with his European tour to prepare for the French presidency of the 27-member union, despite a crisis that has been precipitated after Irish voters said "no" to the Lisbon Treaty. "President Nicolas Sarkozy had worked hard to win over skeptic European leaders on the need for the treaty that was aimed at reforming the EU following the rejection of the draft constitution treaty in successive referendums in France and the Netherlands," said one European diplomat, adding: "the leaders will have to go back to the drawing board." In a move that, according to observers, is calculated at giving the sign that there is no crisis following the rejection of the simplified European treaty, President Sarkozy was expected to visit Czech Republic capital of Prague.
Initially conceived as a simple presentation of the priorities of his mandate, the French head of state's visit to Prague has since Friday took the appearance of crisis meeting between the two countries that are expected to take turns at the helm of the EU between 2008 and 2009, according to analysts.
Since the outcome of the Irish vote was made public, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek have issued statements conceding that the no vote was "a problem" or a "complication" for the European Union, nevertheless seeking to play down its repercussions.