06/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who resigned Tuesday evening, said the victory of the “yes” vote at the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, on 12 June, was “imperative” for the country's social and economic progress. “I am convinced that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty is imperative to the future economic and social progress of the Irish people”, he writes in The Irish Times on 6 May. “I also want to record my belief that the European Union has played a central role in the development of Ireland as one of the most dynamic economies in the world”, Mr Ahern added. He leaves his post to Brian Cowen this Wednesday. (H.B.)