THE Fianna Fail, leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, said that any decisions involving closer association with Nato or the WEU would represent a substantial change in the State's defence policy, and would have longer term implications for, neutrality.
"Any such proposals must be put to the people in a referendum, before any decision is taken."
The Irish people attached great importance to neutrality, and they should have the right to decide whether the State entered into a closer association with existing military alliances on the basis of full information about what was proposed. "I would like a cast iron pledge now from the Government that it will not make any move without first consulting the people in the interests of openness, transparency and accountability."
The Government, said Mr Ahern, was all the colours of the rainbow on the issue of neutrality. The Fine Gael party had to all intents and purposes abandoned it, but he was surprised that Labour and the Democratic Left were going along with a serious erosion of that policy for no good reason except a desire to be one of the crowd.
"While the Tanaiste may claim for domestic consumption that our neutrality is safe, the message being sent out by an officially drafted White Paper, which is what will be read abroad, is quite a different story," said Mr Ahern.
"The Fianna Fail party has always been proud of the policy of positive neutrality, and I believe that the proposals I and my party made last year are far more in keeping with a logical development of our traditions than the proposals in the White Paper. We should be building up the EU, not the WEU."
Ms Kathleen Lynch (DL, Cork North Central) said her party was opposed to Ireland joining the PEP. "It is clear that membership of the PEP would be incompatible with Irish neutrality. In developing the PEP, and touting it around Europe, Nato is attempting to establish its control of security arrangements in post Cold War Europe."
Her party had long argued for the development of a positive neutrality, which would build on the extensive peacekeeping role played by Ireland since the 1960s.