Brian Cowen, the Irish prime minister, has given the first indication that he will resist demands to stage a second referendum in the wake of Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty, writes John Murray Brown in Dublin .

"As things stand, if there is no change, if there are no political developments, if we can't come up with any solutions, then obviously this treaty does not proceed," he told Irish radio. "I want Europe to provide some of the solutions rather than to suggest it is Ireland's problem alone."