FIANNA FAIL has accused the Government and the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, of trying "to recklessly force major change in Ireland's neutral military status".
The party's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Ray Burke, said yesterday the Government could not be trusted to maintain the policy of military neutrality. Mr Spring was determined that Ireland must join the NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace (PEP), despite.the implications of this for our neutral position, he said.
He said the Labour Party conference decision at the weekend not to vote on a motion opposing PFP membership was "a further indication that they cannot be trusted on this". Mr Spring had supported the use of a "procedural device" to prevent his party from expressing a view on the matter, he maintained.
"Partnership for Peace ... has been described by the American ambassador to NATO as nothing less than second-class membership of NATO, and a clear step on the road to full membership of NATO," Mr Burke said. Mr Spring's justification for involvement in PFP was that everyone else has done so. This was a typical of the "me too" approach to foreign policy.
Meanwhile the Dutch EU presidency had launched an initiative to commit the EU to the progressive creation of a defence union, he said. "Proposals to commit the EU to a merger with the Western European Union (a military alliance with a first-strike nuclear capability) and to formulate a mutual defence agreement have been mooted. A senior French diplomat stated in no uncertain terms that military neutrality was no longer compatible with EU membership.
"Still, the Government refuses to take action for fear of offending those member-states in favour of such developments and has failed to provide an opportunity for meaningful debate on the issue of Irish neutrality, either publicly or in the Dail."
The foreign policy of the present Government had consistently undermined Irish neutrality, Mr Burke said. The strategy statement of the Department of Foreign Affairs, published in March, 1997, made no mention of neutrality.
As a militarily neutral country with a non-colonial background, Ireland had a uniquely important role to play in the international arena. "Fianna Fail firmly believes in the positive value of Irish military neutrality and is determined that Ireland must not be forced or coaxed into surrendering that position and will continue in government, as in opposition, to defend and promote Irish military neutrality as a valuable asset."
. The Green Party has criticised the decision of the Labour Party conference at the weekend to adjourn consideration of a motion opposing Irish involvement in Partnership for Peace. "Dick Spring wants to join NATO's so called Partnership for Peace," said Councillor John Gormley yesterday. "Why were Labour Party delegates not allowed to vote on this issue? It appears that it is not just Labour's partners in government, Democratic Left, that opposes membership of NATO groupings, but also many Labour Party delegates themselves," he said.