Britain's Minister for Europe today urged the Irish electorate to vote "yes" in the second Nice Treaty referendum.
Speaking at the opening of an exhibition to promote the planned admission of the 10 new countries to the EU, Mr Peter Hain, called on Ireland not to deny others the opportunities they had themselves.
"I'm sure that most Irishmen and women will have benefited from Europe and will not want to deny that opportunity to the other 10 countries," Mr Hain said.
"I hope the Irish will be satisfied by the reassurances the European Council has given about the absolutely crystal-clear commitment to neutrality and that Ireland will not block this historic enlargement," Mr Hain said.
European Commission President Mr Romano Prodi said in an interview last month that the risk of a second Irish rejection was the greatest single obstacle to EU enlargement plans.