Ahern to suggest Nice neutrality pledge for Ireland

The Taoiseach will attempt to insert a declaration of Irish neutrality into the Nice Treaty to improve the chances of the document being accepted in a second referendum.

Mr Ahern this morning joined the European Union summit in Barcelona where he will discuss the matter with other EU leaders.

He remains under pressure from European leaders to ratify the treaty after the country's 'No' vote effectively blocked plans to add 12 new members to the union.

"He will discuss the issue of Irish neutrality in the context of the Nice Treaty. He will point to the possibility of an individual declaration of Ireland's military neutrality within the treaty," a government spokesman said.

The treaty, which aims to prepare EU institutions for enlargement, must be ratified by all 15 existing members before the end of 2002 with the vote likely to be held this summer.

The Irish leader of the European Parliament said Irish voters would welcome a declaration. "I think people would appreciate the government's efforts to bring clarification in this area," Mr Pat Cox told a news conference in Barcelona.

But defeat in the abortion referendum last week will not have improved the EU authorities’ belief that Mr Ahern can win his Government’s third referendum.

With a declaration of neutrality, Mr Ahern will be hoping to calm fears of Irish involvement in a European army.

The Barcelona summit is aimed at breathing life into economic reforms agreed by EU leaders at the Lisbon summit two years ago - with the ambitious goal of making Europe "the world's most competitive knowledge-based economy" by 2010.

Additional reporting AFP/