Two of the four Independent TDs formally supporting the minority Fianna Fail/PD administration are to break ranks and vote against the Government on the Partnership for Peace motion when it is put to the Dail next week.
This will be the first time any of the Independent deputies supporting the Government will have voted against it. The Government is assured of winning the PfP vote, as Fine Gael is supporting the motion.
Two of the Independent deputies, Ms Mildred Fox and Mr Harry Blaney, said last night they did not believe Ireland should be joining Partnership for Peace.
Ms Fox said the Government promised a referendum on PfP during the general election campaign and should hold to that. Mr Blaney said he would vote against the motion because he wanted to "keep our neutrality intact". He said he was taking Government promises of a possible future referendum on neutrality with "a pinch of salt".
Meanwhile, the Fianna Fail backbench TD, Mr John Browne, is to speak against the PfP motion in the Dail on Tuesday. However, Mr Browne told The Irish Times last night that he supported the democratic decision of the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party and would vote with the Government. The Parliamentary Party debated PfP for an hour-and-a-half at its weekly meeting yesterday. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, outlined the Government's position. He went into detail on the Government's document on PfP, published last week. While the meeting agreed that the Government motion on PfP should be fully supported, it was also agreed to refer to the party's standing committee on foreign affairs a motion from the Wicklow TD, Mr Dick Roche, asking for neutrality to be enshrined in the Constitution. Mr Roche said that while he would support the PfP motion in the Dail, the important issue was to safeguard our neutrality. The best way of doing that was to provide for neutrality in the Constitution. Mr Roche rejected a request from Mr Andrews to withdraw his motion.
The Fianna Fail committee on foreign affairs will refer the matter back to the parliamentary party.
A source said there was "full and frank" debate at the meeting. Several deputies who have in recent days expressed concern about PfP, including Mr Sean Haughey and Mr Michael O'Kennedy, addressed the meeting. Others who spoke included Ms Mary Hanafin, Ms Celia Keaveney , Mr Conor Lenihan and Senator Michael Lanigan.
Mr Browne was the only backbencher to speak against PfP. He said he was disappointed the Government was going down this road. He was not in favour of PfP because in his view that was leading to the creation of a European army. As the party had promised the people a referendum on the matter, the Government should deliver.
He said the public was uneasy enough in recent times following revelations in tribunals and the DIRT hearing. There would be even less faith in the Government following the decision not to hold a referendum.
However, Mr Browne made it clear to the meeting that he would accept the democratic decision of the party and would vote with the Government on the PfP motion. The debate on the motion started yesterday and is expected to finish next Wednesday.