The vote against the Nice Treaty in Ireland should not be interpreted as a rejection of enlargement, the President , Mrs McAleese, said on arrival here yesterday at the start of a three-day State visit to Slovenia. To do so, she told a press conference, would be "very, very wrong".
The result, she said, pointed to genuine concerns on a range of issues. The Irish Government now had to deal with the issues raised. There would be a process of assessment, reflection and interpretation and the Irish people looked forward to welcoming Slovenia into the EU before Ireland took over the EU presidency in 2004. The Irish Government intended the matter to be resolved in a way that would respect the timetable for EU ratification and it would not in any way act as a brake on the enlargement process.
Mrs McAleese said she knew "that the recent referendum had caused concern to the applicant countries, including Slovenia . . . but Irish governments, no matter which one, had long been champions of enlargement". European barometers showed that the Irish people supported enlargement way above other members. She asked the Slovenians to take "encouragement and comfort" from that.
Asked by Radio Slovenia to explain the road map for Ireland following the rejection and how it could allow enlargement, Mrs McAleese transferred the question to the accompanying Minister, Mr Ahern. He said he reiterated everything the President had said.
The Irish Government was particularly disappointed at the result, as were the main political parties and the social partners. Now it was time for reflection. The National Forum for Europe would be set up. The Irish, he said, were totally in favour of enlargement but there was a number of issues that had clouded the referendum and the Government had to find them out and address them.
In answer to another question, Mrs McAleese said that non-alignment or neutrality had not stopped Ireland being very active in peacekeeping.
President Milan Kucan told the press conference of Slovenia's long-standing ambition to
join the EU. During their private meeting, Mrs McAleese had explained to him, he said, how one could and should understand the result of the Irish referendum and that it was in no way against enlargement.
He said last night he believed that in time Ireland would vote to enlarge the EU and he thanked Ireland for its support.
On arrival at Ljubljana Airport Mrs McAleese was greeted by the Foreign Minister, Dr Dimitrij Rupel, the Irish Ambassador, Ms Thelma Doran, and the Slovenian ambassador to Ireland, Mr Marjan Setinc. At a state dinner last night in Brdo Castle, the President said the Government intended opening a resident embassy in Slovenia later this year.
Yesterday's arrival, in a country that last week hosted Presidents Bush and Putin, was low key. She inspected a guard of honour at the Presidential Palace, had talks with President Kucan, held a press conference, visited the National Assembly and attended the State dinner.
While there is a great awareness of Ireland's rejection of Nice, which is a major disappointment to the Slovenians who are among the first countries designated to join, the explanations given by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, at Gothenburg last week are understood.