BERLIN, Oct. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Politicians from nearly all German major parties praised Friday the European Constitution signed by EU leaders in Rome.

    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who signed the document earlier in Rome, called the signing ceremony a "historical event", which showed that "a dream is realized".

    Franz Muenterfering, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, said that the constitution would be a "guarantee for peace and welfare in Europe".

    European social democrats have made sure that social market economy is anchored in the constitution and social justice remains an important guideline for European politics, he added.

    Co-chairmen of the Green party, Claudia Roth and Reinhard Buetikofer, said in a joint statement that a good EU constitution had been achieved after hard and long negotiations.

    Matthias Wissmann, member of the Christian Democratic Union and chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag(lower chamber of the German parliament), regarded the signing as "a star of hopeat the dark European horizon".

    But EU leaders must now solve quickly the "constitutional crisis" caused by the European Parliament's rejection of the new EU commission led by Jos Manuel Barroso, Wissmann said.

    However, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a delegate to the European Parliament from the German Free Democratic Party, said that like other countries, Germany should hold a referendum on the constitution.

    The German government cabinet is expected to approve the constitution next Wednesday and will submit it to the Bundestag and Bundesrat(upper chamber of the parliament) for ratification.

    In Germany, where laws do not allow referendum, the ratification of EU constitution needs the support of two-thirds of members of both chambers in the parliament. Enditem