Sir, - Breda O'Brien (Opinion, February 5th) states that the Nice Treaty represents a unique opportunity for the people of Ireland to make a symbolic gesture. Indeed. She then proposes that we make exactly such a gesture - with two fingers - to the peoples of Poland, Slovenia, Hungary and the other countries seeking to enter the European Union.Her long article makes not a single reference to enlargement of the EU to the countries of central and eastern Europe, yet she proposes that we reject for symbolic reasons a treaty which, whatever its shortcomings, had one over-riding purpose - to prepare the way for enlargement. It has been welcomed as such by the candidate states.Rejection of the Nice Treaty would be interpreted throughout Europe as a selfish Irish attempt to close the Union to poorer countries which seek only to follow where we went - to our unquestioned benefit - in 1973. Such a gesture would be, in the words of the Taoiseach, "hypocritical, shortsighted and ungenerous".After Nice, there are many important issues about the future direction and goverance of the EU which should be openly and fully debated here and across a continent which is working to heal its historic divisions democratically and by mutual consent. Ireland has much to contribute to that debate, but not by misdirected, negative gestures. - Yours, etc.,Tony Brown, Bettyglen, Raheny, Dublin 5.