German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed yesterday to persuade Poland to drop its threat to veto talks on a new European Union treaty.
Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski held four hours of talks in a good atmosphere, a German government spokesman said.
Poland's ruling Kaczynski twins have threatened to block progress on the charter for reforming EU institutions at the summit if their demands for re-weighting the EU voting system are not taken into account.
Merkel said earlier she wanted EU leaders to agree at the summit on a schedule whereby all member countries would ratify the treaty before European parliament elections in 2009.
"We will now put forward a proposal for such a schedule. The readiness of all to compromise will be necessary for it to be adopted," Merkel said in her weekly podcast, before the meeting with Poland's president in Meseberg, north of Berlin.
Warsaw's relations with the EU have deteriorated since the nationalist Kaczynskis took power in 2005 and the brothers show a deep suspicion of Germany, rooted in Poland's suffering under Nazi occupation during World War Two.
Warsaw believes the voting rules contained in the treaty give too much power to big countries - Germany in particular. Poland's demands are backed only by the Czech Republic.
Merkel is due to meet Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in Meseberg on Sunday.