18 October 2001 Edition
Tough talking as SF meet Crespo
Enrique Baron Crespo, leader of the Parliamentary Group of European Socialists, and a delegation of Socialist MEPs met a Sinn Féin delegation in Leinster House on Tuesday, 9 October.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD and Dublin South Central representative Aengus Ó Snodaigh met the delegation, which was hosted by Labour Party President Prionsias De Rossa. They were in Ireland to promote the proposed EU 'Convention' which would draft the next major EU Treaty. The Sinn Féin representatives stressed the need to implement the decision of the electorate in the 26 Counties in the Nice referendum and stated that the Dublin government should by now have requested the other EU states to halt the process of ratification, as the Treaty has been rejected here.
Crespo said that the Irish government had clearly signalled that the process of ratification should go ahead. When it was put to him by the Sinn Féin representatives that it was unacceptable for the wishes of the Irish people to be ignored in this way, either by the Dublin government or by EU states, he made it clear that Nice would go ahead. He compared EU membership to marriage and said "divorce" was always an option.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD and Dublin South Central representative Aengus Ó Snodaigh met the delegation, which was hosted by Labour Party President Prionsias De Rossa. They were in Ireland to promote the proposed EU 'Convention' which would draft the next major EU Treaty. The Sinn Féin representatives stressed the need to implement the decision of the electorate in the 26 Counties in the Nice referendum and stated that the Dublin government should by now have requested the other EU states to halt the process of ratification, as the Treaty has been rejected here.
Crespo said that the Irish government had clearly signalled that the process of ratification should go ahead. When it was put to him by the Sinn Féin representatives that it was unacceptable for the wishes of the Irish people to be ignored in this way, either by the Dublin government or by EU states, he made it clear that Nice would go ahead. He compared EU membership to marriage and said "divorce" was always an option.