Sir, - The Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern (May 20th), says "it is the clear conclusion of the Attorney General that there is no legal or constitutional requirement for a referendum on membership, which does not infringe our neutrality". Mr Ahern seems to have forgotten his own pledge to the Irish people, when he promised he would not join PfP without a referendum. It is not necessary for us to join PfP, which is attached to a military organisation like NATO. Ireland has already got a very good record of peace-keeping all over the world in the United Nations. How long down the road would it be before we were persuaded to join NATO itself?
The Taoiseach said recently on RTE that the Green Party had expressed negative views in the EU about PfP, and he went on to say that perhaps the Green Party should not be in the EU! Does Mr Ahern mean that different views from his own about PfP are negative? I would remind the Taoiseach that people have a democratic right to express their opinion, and also that members of the Green Party who are the elected representatives of the people have as much right to be in the EU as Mr Ahern has to be in Dail Eireann.
The Taoiseach should keep his promise to hold a referendum, and allow the decision about PfP to be made in a democratic vote by the people. - Yours, etc., Anna R. Quinn,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.