MICHEÁL MARTIN INTERVIEW:Nothing has dominated Micheál Martin's term as Minister for Foreign Affairs as much as the Lisbon Treaty and so it will continue for some time yet.
At the EU summit in early December, after months of mulling over the conundrum posed by Ireland's rejection of the document, member states agreed that legal declarations would be offered on neutrality, taxation, abortion and the family before Irish voters would be asked to vote again.
Negotiations on the text of each guarantee will take place over the coming months.
"We have sought to develop a belt and braces approach to this, to remove any doubt there may be in the minds of people about Ireland's capacity to deal with these issues in accordance with our wishes and the wishes of the Irish people," says Mr Martin.
"That is, in essence, what the legal guarantees will underpin."
A paper is being developed between the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence and the offices of the Attorney General and the Taoiseach in relation to the declaration on neutrality.
"It's a work in progress to be frank," the Minister says. "No hard decisions have been made yet."
There has been talk of a possible opt-out in relation to defence policy, with some suggesting Ireland might withdraw from the European Defence Agency.
"An opt-out has not been decided but it's on the table for discussion," Mr Martin says.
"You could opt out of certain aspects of defence policy . . . It has to be carefully evaluated . . . In our discussions with the Danes, they cautioned very strongly against opt-outs because they felt it [the decision to opt-out from EU defence in 1992] was to their ultimate disadvantage.
"There are a variety of options that one could ultimately decide upon, we haven't decided fully on those yet and that remains the work that has to be concluded in the first quarter of the year."
Trade unions reacted warily to the outcome of last month's EU summit, particularly given Britain's resistance to any suggestion of a possible legal guarantee on the issue of workers' rights.
Mr Martin explains that unlike neutrality, taxation and abortion, all of which are "Irish-specific concerns", the issue of workers' rights relates to "Europe-wide concerns".
The Government "is preparing a paper on the issue in terms of first of all clearly understanding where we are in terms of protection of workers' rights and how the Laval judgment would not have applied in the Irish case, and also in terms of how can we work with other countries to close off any other potential loopholes that are out there," he says.
"I would be confident that we would have the required clarity and so forth to present the position as one where the passage of Lisbon would represent a significant gain for workers.
"The one point I would make to the trade union movement, and they know this deep down themselves, is that Lisbon passed is better for Irish workers than Lisbon not passed. In terms of what the Charter of Fundamental Rights advances for workers, it is far superior in European terms than what is there now."
Looking ahead, Mr Martin says that he is fully aware of the difficulties of running a second referendum.
"It's going to be very challenging . . . we have to get the texts right, we have to get the legal guarantees right . . . I do sense, however, that given the negative economic transformation that has occurred, and the new uncertainty in terms of the financial crisis . . . that people accept that it is far better for Ireland to be at the heart of the European Union . . . rather than marginalising itself. I think that view is coming into the ascendancy."
He is hoping for a "reinvigorated" debate in the coming months, one in which the Irish people will "genuinely re-engage" with Europe.
"I think this transcends party politics . . . There will have to be a much better campaign and I think it has to be a more broadly based approach that involves civil society to a much greater degree."
And what of anti-Lisbon campaigners who will no doubt make much of the "No means No" argument in the run-up to a second referendum? What would the Minister say to those who bristle at the prospect of being asked to vote again?
"We will not be asking people to vote on the same proposition," Mr Martin counters.
"I would say to those people, surely it's not unreasonable if you have identified the issues that were of concern, if you have satisfactorily provided the reassurances that people required, if you have change in some of the areas such as the commissioner . . . to say, well should we now not consider our position vis-a-vis the Lisbon Treaty and should we not agree not to hold up the rest of Europe in terms of the reforms that we ourselves negotiated and believed were in the best interests of Ireland and the European Union."
Next month Mr Martin will travel to Cuba for the first official visit by an Irish minister.
"There comes a time when one has to reassess one's bilateral relationship with states, and make a call as to whether the time is right to try to create and advance a new momentum for reform," he says.
"There's a clear sense that the winds of change are blowing . . . and I think it is an opportune time for Ireland to work in a positive way to promote that kind of reform."
Asked if he intends to raise the issue of dissidents that remain in prison in Cuba, he says: "We will be raising a range of issues that are of concern to us in terms of human rights and so on, issues that are equally of concern to our European colleagues."
Mr Martin describes his approach to the foreign affairs brief as one very much influenced by his previous position as minister for enterprise, trade and employment.
"We're bringing a very strong economic dimension to the department and I am very anxious that we are supportive of the broader Government agenda in terms of Ireland's economic performance," he adds.