LONDON
David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK and the leader of the Conservative Party, promised to go to referendum on EU membership on the condition of his party winning the general elections in 2015.
Delivering a speech on UK's EU membership and relations with the EU on Wednesday, Cameron said he was pro-referendum but it was not the right time to do it.
He said the future shape of Europe was being forged adding that there were some serious questions that would define the future of the European Union and the future of every country within it and it would be wrong to ask people if they would like to stay or go before things get right.
He said if Europe would fail, the British people would drift towards the exit. He said the UK would like to play an active role on the future of the EU and the EU needs a change.
Cameron said, "Even if we pulled out completely, decisions made in the EU would continue to have a profound effect on the UK".
He added, "with courage and conviction he believed they could deliver a more flexible, adaptable and open European Union in which the interests and ambitions of all its members could be met".
He said they would give the right of going to referendum to Britons and they would do it in the second half of the next parliament session if the Conservative Party would be re-elected.
Labour Party is leading the recent polls in the UK and the Conservative Party's chance to be the ruling party seems low.
Cameron was due to deliver his speech in the Netherlands last week but it was postponed due to the hostage crisis in Algeria.
Meanwhile, Cameron's coalition partner Nick Clegg reacted to the referendum offer. He said it was contrary to the national interests. Shadow Foreign Minister of the Labour Party Douglas Alexander also reacted to Cameron, saying that his speech was meaningless.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wants Britain to be an important part and an active member of the European Union.
Merkel stated on Wednesday, "We are ready to talk about demands of British in this framework."
She added that however demands of other countries had to be kept in mind and expressed, "Germany and I personally, want Britain to be an important part and an active member of the European Union."
Moreover, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the condition of Britain's continued EU membership was the return of sovereignty.
German FM Westerwelle stressed that they want United Kingdom to remain active in the EU.
Referring to the EU, he said, "Germany wants an ambitious reform of the economic and monetary union in such decisive issues as the future of our common currency. We do not need less, but more integration."
Furthermore, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius commented over the statements of British PM Cameron and underlined, "Europe could not be 'a la carte'."
Speaking to the France Info radio, he stated they wish British to see positive sides of Europe and said, "Imagine the EU was a football club: once you have joined up and you are in this club, you can not then say you want to play rugby."
