The Government is seeking "clarification" on and has expressed "concern about the format" of last Sunday's informal summit of eight European Union heads of state or government. The leaders discussed Afghanistan and the Middle East at Downing Street during a dinner hosted by the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair.
"We weren't invited and we weren't notified," a spokeswoman for the Department of the Taoiseach said yesterday. "We are trying to clarify the context of the meeting."
The ambassador to the EU, Ms Anne Anderson, raised the issue, along with colleagues from other member states whose representatives were not invited, at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels yesterday morning. "She expressed concern about the format of the meeting," a spokesman said.
The presence at the two-hour Downing Street meeting of the EU's senior foreign policy representative, Mr Javier Solana, appeared to give it a semi-official community status and this was clearly of concern to the Government. While senior sources said privately that the Government did not intend to have a major row over the summit, there was a view that Mr Solana's presence confused the issue of what precise status the event was meant to have.
The Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, said Mr Blair appeared to have gone on "somewhat of a solo run" on foreign policy and this was a pity. "Ideally I would like to have seen the development of an EU response in association with the United Nations. Tony Blair's approach will give rise to a splintered European response."
Mr O'Keeffe said the failure to invite the Taoiseach "ignores both our membership of the EU and in particular also completely ignores the fact that we are a member and outgoing president of the UN Security Council".
The Green Party TD, Mr John Gormley, said the Downing Street dinner demonstrated "the two-tiered Europe" in action and it bolstered his party's argument during the Nice referendum that the EU was moving away from a partnership of equals. "These are the movers and shakers of Europe and the rest don't really count."
Mr Gormley hoped that, if Mr Ahern had been present, "our Taoiseach would have spoken out against the war, but given the Government's behaviour so far, that is probably a vain hope".
The Labour Party declined to comment.
However, a Downing Street spokesman said the meeting had gone down well with the European leaders who attended and was also "highly successful in helping the process of thinking through" the issues of Afghanistan and the Middle East. "The diplomatic offensive is gathering momentum," he told reporters.
The German Chancellor, Mr Schr÷der, the French President, Mr Chirac and the French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Belgian prime ministers also attended the London meeting.
President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal, who was not invited, said the unity of Europe had been damaged. "It's when Europe is needed most that it doesn't show itself as it should," he said in the northern city of Porto. "The project of a united Europe will not go far if the principle of equality of states is not respected."
In Athens, a government spokesman voiced Greece's "concerns" but added that leaders could meet whoever they wished.
In a speech to the Confederation of British Industry in Birmingham, Mr Blair said winning the battle against the "terrorist menace" was central to his government's quest to ensure economic stability.
"We know these people would commit further atrocities if they could, so winning the battle against international terrorism is to win for the economy too," he said.