Leading German conservative regrets French 'no' in referendum

BERLIN - A leading German conservative politician said on Sunday he greatly regretted the French "no" in the referendum on the EU constitution.
In the first reaction from a leading figure in Germany, Christian Wulff, the Christian Democrat leader of the state of Lower Saxony, said: "I greet the 'no' of the French people with great disappointment, but I respect the outcome."
Germany, which with France forms the key axis at the heart of the European project, last Friday became the ninth country to ratify the constitution.
The treaty was overwhelmingly approved by both houses of the German parliament, but a referendum was not held, while French voters overwhelmingly rejected the treaty in a vote held Sunday.

05/29/2005 20:40 GMT