FIANNA FÁIL and the main Opposition parties have united in a push for a Yes vote in next month's Lisbon Treaty referendum following efforts to end divisions which have emerged over the past week.
In a joint canvass in Dublin last night, Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said wider political differences between the parties had to be put aside in the national interest.
Meanwhile, Yes campaigners received a boost following the Catholic Church's declaration that the treaty would not weaken Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion, contradicting a claim often made by some in the No lobby.
The Irish Bishops' Conference did not, however, advocate a Yes vote.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour are now to co-ordinate their campaigning over the next fortnight up to polling on June 12th, while their MEPs are to produce their own joint Yes call in coming days.
The call for a joint stand was first made publicly by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny on Wednesday, though efforts to bring it about began a day earlier in talks between the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, and Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell and Lucinda Creighton.
The Taoiseach, Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore are expected to appear together to make a collective appeal in the final days of the campaign, although final arrangements have yet to be made.
Mr Kenny was absent from last night's Dublin canvass because he was committed to appearances in Cork, though the party's frontbench spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell was present.
Divisions arose between the three parties after Mr Cowen's warning that he could silence the Opposition if they continued to barrack him in the Dáil last week, and later remarks in Portlaoise that appeared to question Fine Gael and Labour's commitment to the treaty.
Despite facing opposition from some of his supporters, Mr Kenny has urged them to back the treaty and "not to take a partisan political view against the Government".
Acknowledging that many Fine Gael supporters "feel aggrieved", he said: "It is important to point out to them that this is not the time to take out vengeance in a party political sense against the Government. This is about our country, our children and our future."
Adopting the same tone, Mr Cowen said: "We need to be working together. This is a national issue, not a party political issue. There were some unfortunate issues earlier in the week. Whatever misunderstandings there were we hope that we have left them behind us."
In their statement, which does not call openly for a Yes vote but appears broadly favourable, the Catholic bishops said the treaty does not change Ireland's abortion laws.
Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin said: "I do not believe that this treaty changes the current position with regard to Ireland's position on abortion within the EU. However, and we do draw attention to this, in today's world of legal positivism, courts and judicial interpretations can bring many surprises and we appeal to our political leaders and public representatives to be attentive in their responsibility to defend the position which represents the Irish Constitution for the future."
In an implicit criticism of the conduct of the Lisbon debate so far, he said: "I would like to see a stronger leadership from a political community explaining and ensuring that the citizens have the knowledge in a balanced and clear way which will enable them to decide in favour of the common good of Europe."
Dr Martin condemned "unreservedly those who would seek to influence the outcome of the referendum either by offering misleading or even patently incorrect advice or by introducing extraneous factors into the debate".
The Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian and Methodist churches have also issued a broadly favourable judgment on the treaty.
Describing the EU as "a remarkable experiment" in peaceful co-operation, the bishops said the treaty was "a considered effort" to respond to global challenges.