Ard Fheis rejects EU Constitution - By Eoin O'Broin

Mary Lou McDonald

"I want to begin by sending out international solidarity greetings to all those who strive for freedom, justice and peace around the world and to those who continue to suffer oppression and marginalisation - Sinn Féin stands with you." With these words, Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald opened the 2005 Ard Fheis section on EU, Neutrality and International Affairs.

The Dublin MEP went on to "acknowledge all of those international guests in attendance, and especially those in attendance from the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament.

"In particular, I want to thank the President of the group, Francis Wurtz, for making us very welcome to the group, upon our election in June of last year, and in the time since then," she said.

At the centre of the debate was the Ard Chomhairle document on the EU Constitution, calling for the party to reject the proposed text in any future referendum and campaign vigorously to that end. Mary Lou was accompanied by Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and EU Department Head Eoin O'Broin in outlining the progressive case for a No vote.

Mícheál Mac Donncha from the Leinster House team spoke in favour of Irish neutrality and against EU Battle Groups. Martina Anderson, All-Ireland Coordinator, spoke in favour of a Peace III programme. Derry Sinn Féin activist Daisy Mules called on delegates to support the indigenous people of Diego Garcia.

Other motions passed included support for Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombian trade unionists, and the Basque Country. Cumainn across the country called for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, while others called for reform of the UN and an end to the international trade in arms.

An Ard Chomhairle motion expressed "deep concern over the grave situation" in Darfur and called on the UN to provide financial and logistical assistance to assist the African Union in their efforts to resolve the situation.

The section ended with Six-County MEP Bairbre de Brún calling on delegates to support motion 92 on development aid from the EU. She told the Ard Fheis: "Roughly 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger related causes. In the next 25 years, an estimated 2 billion people will be added to the world's population, almost all of them in developing countries. These figures are only the tip of an iceberg of world poverty and inequality that is getting worse with each year. They serve to illustrate that the world in which we live is dominated by hunger, disease and underdevelopment."

Delegates unanimously endorsed the motion, which called for the cancellation of developing world debt and the increasing of aid levels from EU member states.