Minister accuses Lisbon Treaty opponents of peddling a myth

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern yesterday accused opponents of the Lisbon Treaty of trying to "peddle a dangerous myth" by claiming that one can be pro-European and yet oppose the treaty.

Outlining the case for a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum, he criticised those campaigning for a rejection for engaging in "diversionary tactics.

"Instead of dealing with the facts, opponents of this treaty, which has so many positive and practical provisions, are trying to distract attention with worn-out threats of dire consequences, should the Irish people support the reform treaty," he said in a statement.

"They are trying to peddle a dangerous myth, that you can somehow be against this treaty and yet be pro-European.

"This treaty is about making Europe more efficient, democratic and responsive to the needs of its citizens; surely nobody who is genuinely pro-European can oppose this."

Mr Ahern will be joint director of elections, along with Tánaiste Brian Cowen, of Fianna Fáil's campaign for endorsement of the treaty in a referendum expected to take place in late May or early June.

The Minister said the treaty would cut bureaucracy, improve efficiency, speed up decision-making and make the European Union more responsive to citizens.

It would also make the EU more answerable to the Oireachtas.

He said: "In short it creates the union we need to help us defend prosperity, safeguard the environment and protect Irish jobs against the challenges ahead.

"The bottom line is this: The EU empowers us. The treaty empowers us further. Ireland is the strongest economic success story of the European Union and this treaty will allow us to do even better.

"That is why the Government will be campaigning strongly for a Yes vote."

As an island nation, he argued, "we, more than almost any other country, must engage in international trade for our economic wellbeing," and the two great achievements of the EU - the euro and the single market - had provided Ireland with a market of half-a-billion people and unprecedented business opportunities.

He also drew a link between Ireland's strong economic performance and its membership of the EU since 1973, arguing that it was no coincidence that export figures had soared and the number of people at work in Ireland had doubled since then.

"Some who urge a vote against the treaty will even suggest that the EU's future evolution could damage our interests. These are far-fetched suggestions and the Irish people know the facts to be otherwise," he said.