Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has cast doubt on whether Ireland will hold a referendum on the EU constitution, following the "very difficult situation" created by the rejection of the constitution by France and the Netherlands.
Asked if he could still see Ireland holding a referendum on the issue, given the No votes in two important member countries, Mr Ahern replied: "I can't say, we will wait and see what comes out of the European Council meeting in mid-June."
Up to now the Government has been sending clear signals that it would not be diverted from its decision to hold a referendum on the constitution within a year, even if other countries voted No.
In a speech at Berlin's Humboldt University yesterday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the EU's member states had "signed up to ratify the treaty and, in the absence of a change, that will continue".
He continued: "In Ireland's case, we have now published a Bill providing for a national referendum on the European Constitution. We are continuing our preparations for this referendum. We will, of course, take into account the outcome of the discussion at the forthcoming European Council. At the Council, the Heads of State or Government will need to consider carefully how best to approach the completion of the ratification process" The council meeting takes place on June 16th.
Interviewed during a visit to the UN in New York, Dermot Ahern said the outcome of the French and Dutch referendums "creates a very difficult situation" as all EU members had agreed they would try to ratify the new constitution.
"Obviously we'll have to wait and see," he said concerning a planned referendum in Ireland. "We have our preparation, that's why we published our legislation before the French referendum, so we are ready to kick in."
Mr Dermot Ahern said: "It's true to say these events are fairly seismic and we have to take stock as time moves on. Different countries will have different views on how we proceed and we will just have to see how these are articulated between now and June 16th-17th."
He said the talks held by the Taoiseach yesterday with EU leaders, and last night with German chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Berlin, "will feed into our deliberations".
Mr Dermot Ahern said it was a matter for France and the Netherlands whether to hold second referendums or not. "If other countries proceed to ratify and they are the only two remaining countries then obviously that's an issue they would have to address themselves."
He speculated that dissatisfaction with the quickened pace of change of the EU and the view that it was enlarging too quickly contributed to the No votes. If the constitution was not passed "it may very well slow the rate of expansion". Mr Ahern was in New York as one of five special envoys appointed by UN secretary general Kofi Annan to promote his sweeping reform programme throughout the world.