Sir, - Fr Tom Ingoldsby (April 29th) quotes a statement by the Swedish Prime Minister, Mr Goran Persson, to the effect that Sweden "will not participate from the start". I am afraid that there is a misunderstanding here.
The Swedish Parliament ratified the Amsterdam Treaty last Wednesday, as reported in The Irish Times, by a very large majority. What the Prime Minister's statement referred to was, most probably, Sweden's decision not to join EMU from the start. That is altogether another kettle of fish. - Yours, etc.,
Peter Osvald, Ambassador,
Embassy of Sweden, Dublin 2.