Dublin, 30/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - Brian Cowen, Irish Foreign Secretary, launched a White Paper on Wednesday on the Treaty of Nice that will be available in every home, in English and Gaelic, so as to prepare Irish citizens for the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty, in principle scheduled for 31 May (but it could be delayed depending on developments in the foot-and-mouth crisis).
At a press conference, Mr. Cowen said that he had no doubt that the Treaty of Nice was a "good thing for Europe and a good thing for Ireland". He denied that the Treaty could affect Ireland's neutrality, stressing that any Irish participation in EU-led peace-keeping operations would demand UN approval and a vote in the Irish Parliament.