EU leaders will meet in Athens on April 16th and may be joined by Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin and some other leaders to show there is unity on the European continent despite splits over the Iraq war.
Greece, which holds the EU presidency, said yesterday a ratification signing ceremony planned only for 10 new European Union members would now also include all 15 EU leaders as well as other European nations.
"All European Union leaders will be in Athens for the signing ceremony," a Greek foreign ministry official said, adding that Turkish Prime Minister Mr Tayyip Erdogan would attend.
He said British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair, French President Mr Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schröder, Spanish Prime Minister Mr José Maria Aznar and Italian Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi would be at the meeting.
Greek government spokesman Mr Christos Protopapas said civil servants may get April 16th off to ease traffic problems for the ceremony at the foot of the famed Acropolis.
Greek officials were waiting to hear from Moscow on whether Mr Putin would accept the invitation, the foreign ministry official said.
Few leaders of the present 15 EU member-states, bitterly divided over the US-led war in Iraq, had been expected at a symbolic ratification by the 10 new members of the EU, including Poland and Cyprus, for their formal joining in May 2004.
Turkey, a key player in the Baghdad conflict because it is both a neighbour of Iraq and an EU hopeful, is expected to attend the meeting.
Romania and Bulgaria will also attend as they are next in a queue of nations waiting to join the EU after the 10.