EU force would be `horrifying' for Irish neutrality

A former United Nations deputy director has said the EU Rapid Reaction Force, provided for in the Nice Treaty, would be "horrifying for Irish neutrality".

Mr Denis Halliday, who resigned as head of UN humanitarian operations in Iraq because of the impact sanctions were having on that country, was speaking at a No to Nice meeting, organised by the charity AfrI, in Dublin yesterday.

A vote in favour of the treaty in tomorrow's referendum would be a vote to endorse NATO involvement in Europe, he said.

Prof John Maguire, professor emeritus of sociology at UCC, described the treaty as "a botched attempt to entrench elitism in the name of enlargement, and militarism in the name of peacekeeping". According to the Green Party, any undecided voter should vote No tomorrow as this would give the electorate more time to make up its mind on the issues. according to the Green Party. "We have until 2002 to ratify the treaty," said the Green Party TD, Mr Trevor Sargent, at a separate event.

"Voting No would let the Government realise it takes more than 21 days to come to terms with the implications of this treaty," he said.

The Government announced the referendum 21 days before polling day.

Mr Sargent's party colleague, Ms Patricia McKenna MEP, called for a No vote because, she said, the EU that new member-states would join "would be very different to the one we joined in 1973".

"The Nice Treaty will make things more difficult for new member-states and will not give them the same opportunities Ireland had when we joined."

Ireland would lose its veto in 34 new areas. "Furthermore, while qualified majority voting is being introduced there is no co-decision procedure which allows the European Parliament a say in these areas. The Council of Ministers is still sitting behind tightly closed doors," she said.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is being sued for damages in the High Court by Dr Sean O'Domhnaill, a patron of the No to Nice campaign, for alleged malicious falsehood.

Mr Justice Murphy yesterday permitted Dr O'Domhnaill to inform Mr Ahern overnight of his intention to seek a temporary injunction today, restraining the Taoiseach from making or repeating "untrue and erroneous allegations" relating to him or leaders of the No to Nice campaign.

Dr O'Domhnaill said Mr Ahern was slandering him by saying he was linked to rightwing fundamentalists in the US. He was granted leave to serve short notice personally on the Taoiseach of his intention to bring a notice of motion before the court today.