ARRANGEMENTS FOR a meeting between French president Nicolas Sarkozy and prominent pro- and anti-Lisbon Treaty campaigners were thrown into confusion last night with the Labour Party leader, Eamon Gilmore, refusing to attend and the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, reserving his position.
Both party leaders were angered by the plan for an hour-long meeting at the French embassy, at which they would be accorded the same status as unelected anti-Lisbon campaigners.
Mr Gilmore announced that he had declined the invitation to participate in a round-table meeting with the French president, as he regarded the format as pointless.
"On requesting clarification on the format of the event, I have been informed that there would be some 15 or 16 organisations in attendance; that the meeting would be arranged on a round-table basis; that it would last for approximately one hour," said Mr Gilmore.
He said it was unclear what, if anything, the meeting could achieve, as the time allowed would not permit any real engagement on the issues.
"In all probability such a meeting would probably become a re-enactment of the Lisbon debate. That debate is over and the referendum has delivered a result," said Mr Gilmore.
A Fine Gael spokesman said the party would send a representative to the meeting but had not decided who that would be. He said a decision would be made over the weekend.
Speaking in New York, Taoiseach Brian Cowen made it clear the only role played by the Government in arranging Mr Sarkozy's schedule for Monday involved the meeting between himself and the president at Government Buildings.
Mr Cowen told reporters that everything else was being handled by the French embassy.
"Thereafter the arrangements are at the requirements of the French government themselves . . . so the French embassy are handling that part of the programme," he said.
Government sources expressed bewilderment at the way the French embassy had gone about organising Monday's round-table event. It will be attended by No campaigners including Patricia McKenna, Richard Boyd Barrett, Declan Ganley and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams. Supporters of the Lisbon Treaty attending include the former president of the European Parliament, Pat Cox.
"We suggested that the two main Opposition leaders should have been accorded the respect of having a separate meeting with President Sarkozy, either in the Taoiseach's Department or at the embassy, but the French declined to take the advice," said a Government source.