EU: The EU's four neutral member-states, Ireland, Austria, Finland and Sweden, have told the Italian Presidency that they cannot accept a mutual defence clause in the new constitutional treaty, due to be agreed next week.
Their four foreign ministers have written to their Italian counterpart, Mr Franco Frattini, proposing a change in the wording of the relevant article.
The current draft of Article I 40 (7) in the treaty states: "If a member-state is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other member-states shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
"Commitments and co-operation in this area shall be consistent with commitments under NATO, which, for those states which are members of it, remains the foundation of their collective defence and the forum for its implementation."
The four neutrals want to change the first paragraph to read as follows: "If a member-state is victim of armed aggression, it may request that the other member-states give it aid and assistance by all the means in their power, military or other, in accordance with Art 51 of the UN Charter."
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said Ireland could not participate in any mutual defence arrangement without the approval of the people in a referendum.
The neutrals' proposal would mean that any assistance, military or otherwise, offered to a partner that had been attacked would thereby remain for sovereign decision by national governments in accordance with their respective security policy or constitutional requirements.
"We fully respect those partners committed to automatic mutual defence arrangements. Equally, we would hope that partners respect the different security policy traditions of Ireland, Finland, Sweden and Austria which make it impossible for us to accept the Presidency proposal as drafted," he said.
Yesterday's initiative came as Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who chaired the convention that drew up the draft constitution, warned against too many changes that would weaken the text.
"We would very much like to see the constitution adopted, but let's be clear about this, we would rather do without a constitution than have a bad one," he said.
"History teaches us that bad constitutions, those which are felt to be unjust or ineffective by the citizens to whom they apply, lead to revolutions or rebellion.
"In this particular case I don't think there will be any barricades being thrown up, but I do think we would see the gradual falling apart of the European Union."
Mr Frattini agreed, adding that the Italian Presidency would not accept a compromise that represented the lowest common denominator.
Italy's Prime Minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, who will chair next week's meeting of EU leaders, said that Spain and Poland must show more flexibility in their opposition to a proposal to change the way EU member-states vote in the Council of Ministers.