ATHENS, Oct 29 (AFP) - Greece will ratify the new EU constitution in parliament, the country's conservative govermnent said Friday, rejecting calls from the socialist opposition to submit it to a national referendum.
"(T)he highest institution of democracy, the Greek parliament ... will ratify the European Constitution very soon," Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said in a statement.
In Rome, where European Union leaders signed the document earlier in the day, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said the new constitution contained "many positive elements for a more functional and effective Europe."
He said it would benefit Greek tourism and the country's island and border regions.
Earlier, Greek socialist opposition leader and former foreign minister George Papandreou called for the Greek people to get a chance to vote on the new EU constitution in a national referendum because of how it affected the country.
Papandreou, chairman of the Socialist PASOK party, told journalists his party backed the constititution but said its contents required public debate.
Papandreou's call came two days after a similar one by the leading Greek labour union federation GSEE.
The last referendum to be held in Greece was in 1974 with the restoration of democracy at the end of seven years of military rule, when the public voted for the abolition of the monarchy.
10/29/2004 15:19 GMT - AFP