The Nice Treaty brought the militarisation of the European Union a stage further, the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) claimed at the launch of its campaign for a No vote.
The PANA chairman, Mr Roger Cole, said he had voted No in all previous European referendums because they were "proceeding towards the militarisation of Europe".
There was a long tradition of peace movements in Ireland which opposed such militarisation. PANA wanted the EU to be an association of democratic states without a "European army".
As an example of how the Government could not be trusted to preserve Irish neutrality, he produced a letter received from the Department of Foreign Affairs which stated that, between August 2001 and July 2002, a total of 1,980 overflights and 523 landings by foreign military aircraft from 33 countries were permitted.
These included US military aircraft but when he requested a breakdown on a country-by-country basis he was told that permission to release such information would have to be sought from the governments in question.
Ms Carol Fox, PANA research officer, said the proposed additional clause preventing Irish participation in an EU mutual defence pact would not stop the Government taking part in the Rapid Reaction Force or joining NATO. Even without the extra clause there would still have to be a referendum on joining an EU common defence.
At a separate news conference of the No to Nice Campaign, Mr Justin Barrett said the Government was engaging in "weasel words" on immigration. He claimed there were "at least two policies": totally free access for citizens of the accession countries, as soon as they joined the EU, and potentially restricted access.
The No to Nice Campaign would be spending about €100,000 in the referendum. This would be raised from members around the country and through advertisements in the Irish Catholic and the Irish Family.
Rejecting the "so-called controversy" over its anti-Nice poster showing a man with a gun to his head, he said it was a toy pistol purchased for a child and not a real semi-automatic, as alleged. It showed "a man with a gun being put to his head" and had nothing whatsoever to do with suicide.
He accused the employers' group, IBEC, of having a hidden agenda in its €500,000 campaign for a Yes vote. "It is quite clear to me and many trade unionists on the ground that IBEC's main motivation is to access a source of very cheap labour," Mr Barrett said.
Unrestricted access for immigrants would reduce labour costs. "IBEC looks forward to a situation where they will be able to pay much lower wages," he claimed.
Responding, Ms Maria Cronin of IBEC told The Irish Times: "That argument completely ignores the very serious economic arguments that are made in our campaign, which highlight the trade and consequent job opportunities from enlargement. Ireland quite literally has a raft of protective legislation for workers, most of it from Europe, including a minimum wage. We also have a very active trade union movement and a system of social partnership."
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have called a special meeting of all Ministers in advance of tomorrow's weekly Cabinet session. According to a Government spokeswoman they will discuss how "to roll out the message" in the Nice campaign. Mr Ahern has also called all Fianna Fáil Ministers and Ministers of State to a discussion on Nice after the Cabinet meeting.
In Brussels, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said a number of his European counterparts had asked about the state of the referendum campaign. "They are concerned about making sure enlargement goes ahead but they respect it's a decision for us and they are hoping it is positive," he said.