FRENCH WARNING:IF IRELAND votes No to the Lisbon Treaty, the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner warned yesterday that "the first victim . . . would be the Irish".
In an interview with RTL radio, Dr Kouchner echoed a widespread view in France that Ireland would show its lack of gratitude to Europe if it voted No.
"They have benefited more than others," he said. "Yes, they're not happy because maybe nobody told them that Europe is confronting the rest of the world and that to have advantages for themselves, for the Irish . . . well, Europe has to develop, has to go in the direction of the Treaty of Lisbon.
"Everyone is going to ratify it. It would be very, very, very troubling . . . that we not be able to count on the Irish, who counted a lot on Europe's money," he said.
If Ireland votes No, Dr Kouchner said the French presidency would pursue implementation of the treaty, all the while "trying to convince the Irish who have already re-voted once on the Nice Treaty to put this treaty back on the drawing board".
A second Irish vote "is starting to be envisaged everywhere", he said, but "a little incomprehension is going to transform itself into gigantic incomprehension. You won't face up to things by being alone; on the contrary, the Irish would truly penalise themselves."
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin issued a statement in response. Ultimately the Irish would decide "the future direction of our country". It was "a choice between Ireland moving forward as a positive member of the EU or taking a different direction", Mr Martin said.
In the Le Mondenewspaper, Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit explained support for a No vote in Ireland "by the folly of this type of referendum. We're in societies that work on selfish logic . . . the basic reaction is to protect one's own acquis . . . The Irish know . . . that they'll have to pay and not receive any more. A referendum should have consequences: if one says No, one leaves Europe."
He expanded on the theme of ungrateful Irish. "The Irish obtained everything from Europe and they're not aware of it . . ." he said. "The Irish in the No camp are congealing a whole series of problems that have nothing to do with Europe."