Brussels, 09/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - If the negotiating mandate for the intergovernmental conference (IGC) approved by the European Council in June is fully complied with, the future new EU treaty will not have to be put to a referendum in Britain, the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, said on Monday. The British government will therefore ensure that, during the IGC to be launched on 23 July, every small detail of the derogations obtained in the mandate will be taken up as such in the final treaty. Speaking after a meeting in London with his Portuguese counterpart and the current president of the European Council, José Socrates, Mr Brown said the work over these next few months will be to ensure that Britain's “red lines” are taken up in detail in the treaty. If such is the case, he said, he sees no reason to recommend calling for a referendum by the British people. The Conservative opposition and a large part of the eurosceptical media in the United Kingdom are, however, calling for such a referendum. José Socrates, for his part, restated his wish to conclude negotiations on the treaty during the informal meeting of EU heads of state and government on 18-19 October in Lisbon, without reopening the negotiation mandate. (hb)