BRITAIN: Prime Minister Tony Blair warned the British on Sunday that a "No" vote in a referendum on the European Union constitution would condemn Britain to the fringes of the 25-member bloc.
Mr Blair, in Paris for an event to mark the anniversary of the birth of the European Union, also rejected suggestions that he stood no chance of winning a referendum.
"I think we have to say to people very clearly that to vote against this treaty...would be a serious blow to Britain's position in the centre of Europe," he told French LCI television via an interpreter.
Asked if he had made a mistake by calling a vote which he had no chance of winning, he pointed to surveys showing that the British could be won over to the constitution as long as they were assured that it would not mean a loss of sovereignty.
"Most of the opinion polls in Britain show people support the idea of a constitutional treaty which is appropriate for Europe. They want to be sure that it is a treaty between nations and not a step towards a federal super-state," he said.
Mr Blair has acknowledged his future is on the line over the referendum, which he unexpectedly called last month and is slated for late 2005.
EU leaders are expected in June to sign a constitution text which overhauls voting procedures in Brussels to make agreement easier with a bloc that has just expanded from 15 to 25 members.
Addressing several hundred British and French students at an earlier event, Mr Blair said he would mount a campaign to "flush out" entrenched British eurosceptic attitudes.
"I think it will be important that we explain to the people exactly what is in the constitution treaty, not the scare stories but the reality of it," he told the audience.
"It's not about taking away the basic rights of the nation state. It's time to decide whether we want to be a key central player in Europe or whether we want to be at the margins of influence."
Mr Blair's decision to call a referendum caused consternation among some of Britain's partners in the EU, who must ratify the charter unanimously for it to take effect. -(Reuters)