The changes made in the Nice Treaty were "genuinely quite minor" and the case for voting Yes was "very simple and very compelling", the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern claimed in Dublin yesterday.
The treaty was fundamentally about enlargement: "It is intended to prepare the European Union for the admission of 12 new members. It is about giving to others the opportunities that we have made such good use of for 30 years. It is about extending prosperity and strengthening democracy, freedom and the rule of law across Europe."
He said people who claimed they were for enlargement but against Nice were not being realistic. "Let's be clear: if we vote against Nice we will be blocking the enlargement process, and will be seen by everyone to have done so."
He rejected claims of a radical shift in the balance of power between member-states. "As you welcome new members your own relative position is slightly lessened. But the changes made in the Nice Treaty are genuinely quite minor."
Asked about the reference by the French Prime Minister to the need for tax harmonisation, which was taken as an indirect criticism of the low rate of Irish corporation tax, Mr Ahern replied: "He did not mention us and I would read that what he was talking about is combating tax-dumping. It does not apply to this country at all." It was well known in Europe that he and Mr Jospin disagreed on the corporate tax issue. It took up two of the four days of treaty negotiations at Nice last December. If people believed it was important to retain our current tax regime, they should vote Yes on June 7th because the Irish position was successfully defended at Nice, he said.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, accused the No lobby of misrepresenting the security implications of the treaty. Opponents of the treaty had cited references to aircraft and ships, offered by member-states to the EU's Rapid Reaction Force (RRF), as evidence of militarisation.
"The bulk of the so-called RRF will consist of infantry, as one would expect in any peacekeeping operation. The aircraft and ships are there to be used for their protection if that should be proved necessary. It would be irresponsible for any government to risk the lives of their personnel in a crisis management operation that was not, in extremis, adequately protected.
"I fail to see how our opponents can expect to benefit from peace and prosperity in Europe while opposing the kind of conflict prevention activities that the EU is now promoting, as in the Western Balkans," Mr Cowen said.
The Irish Times website has launched a special site which will have extensive online coverage of the run-up, results and aftermath of the referendums taking place on both the International Crimi- nal Court and the abolition of the death penalty. It can be accessed from www.ireland.com.