Madam, - Carol Fox (April 3rd) has misinterpreted the Lisbon Treaty's provisions.
First, the treaty's provision on a "mutual defence obligation" does not bind Ireland. The commitment is constrained by Article 51 of the UN Charter which subjects member states to the decisions of the Security Council. Moreover, since "This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states", Ireland is not bound by any such commitment and the Government would make its own decision as to whether or not and by what means to provide assistance to an EU partner in such grave circumstances.
Second, any decisions under the the Solidarity Clause to act if a member state were the object of "terrorist attack or the victim of a natural or man-made disaster" must be taken unanimously. Moreover, each and every member state will itself choose how to fulfil that commitment, including whether or not to make military forces available. Any Irish decision would be bound by our own constitutional and legal framework - including the "Triple Lock" requiring a UN Security Council mandate.
Third, and finally, EU battlegroups are most certainly not EU armies. They are multinational formations (about 2,500-strong) of national army units brought together to stand-by for a period of six months.
During this period they are available - only when unanimously agreed by the member states - to act in support of international peacekeeping.
Ireland's contribution is limited to the 100 personnel assigned to the Swedish-led Nordic Battlegroup.
The participation of these Irish troops in any actual military operation is further restricted by the terms of the aforementioned "Triple Lock".
I appreciate that Ms Fox has a line to sell on this treaty on behalf of her organisation (Peace and Neutrality Alliance) and I have no doubt that her concerns are heartfelt.
They are however, in the above cases, misplaced.
- Yours, etc,
BEN TONRA, Jean Monnet Professor of European Foreign and Security Policy, UCD, Dublin 4.
Madam, - I read with interest the many letters and articles suggesting doom and gloom if we vote No in the Lisbon Treaty referendum. Apparently, we will immediately be kicked out of Europe, every foreign investor here will up stumps and head off and our economy will collapse. The Lisbon Treaty document is long and very windy. It was certainly not written for the layman. But, on re-reading it, I find no mention of Ireland being ejected, no implicit threat to our economy and no mention of sanctions of any kind.
I do not understand why certain vested interests are trying to scare us into voting Yes, but I'm sure they have their motives. If the Irish electorate do reject the treaty, it cannot be ratified.
This will not make us bad Europeans. Rather, the authors of the treaty will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with another treaty - one we can vote for.
However, it appears to me that if we do vote Yes, it will be the last referendum we will ever have on European legislation. We will actually be vesting the power in the new structures to make decisions on our behalf without ever again being asked for our opinion.
Of course, the wording of the treaty is difficult and the above is merely my interpretation of it.
Perhaps one of the scaremongers out there could respond with their interpretation.
- Yours, etc,
JOHN MALLON, Mayfield, Cork.