Dublin - Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen said Sunday there
is 'no obvious solution' to the dilemma faced by Ireland and the
European Union (EU) following the Irish rejection of the Lisbon
Treaty.
Cowen told RTE radio that Ireland and the Union are in 'uncharted
territory ... we have to now try and chart that uncharted territory.'
He added there is 'no quick fix' to the problem: 'It's not clear how
we're going to proceed.'
In a referendum on Thursday Irish voters rejected the treaty aimed
at making the 27-member bloc more efficient by 53.4 per cent to 46.6
per cent.
'We now have to sit down in a sense of solidarity and cooperation
with all member states and see if we can find a way forward,' the
Irish premier said, adding 'I want Europe to try and provide some of
the solutions rather than just suggesting it's Ireland's problem
alone.'
Cowen, who took office in May, ruled out any kind of associate EU
membership for Ireland. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier suggested on Saturday that Ireland could temporarily
withdraw from closer integration efforts while the other 26-members
continue to ratify the treaty.
'I want Ireland to continue to be a constructive member of the
Union ... I passionately believe that Ireland's future is to be at
the heart of the EU,' he said.
Cowen's ruling Fianna Fail and the main opposition parties Fine
Gael and Labour all campaigned for a yes vote. The prime minister
admitted that the yes camp 'didn't run as effective a campaign as
perhaps we should have,' but he accused the no campaign of 'an
orchestrated effort to confuse' through untrue statements and the
raising of extraneous issues.
The Irish government hasn't ruled out a re-run of the referendum
as occurred when Ireland rejected the Nice Treaty in 2001 before
accepting it a year later. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband
said Sunday that Ireland shouldn't be 'bulldozed' into a re-run.
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