Labour would oppose the Government's perspective on Europe, both inside and outside the forum, the party leader, Mr Ruair∅ Quinn said at Dublin Castle yesterday.
He said he did not believe consensus in the debate was either likely or desirable, as there were different points of view on Europe.
"The Government is deeply divided on Europe. It mishandled not just the Nice Treaty but its aftermath as well. Since taking office, its lack of vision on Europe has done little to advance our national interest in the longer run. At every turn it has opposed or delayed the development of the social Europe my party supports," Mr Quinn said.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, of the Progressive Democrats called for plain speaking in the forum debate.
"Too often the language of policy, diplomacy, institutions and constitutions is rarefied and remote. It can sound like a code spoken only by elites, who may consciously or unconsciously go over the heads of the people in whose name they should act."
The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, said the Nice Treaty debates had shown the "absolute urgency" of the discussion which would take place in the forum. At the same time, the Greens did not accept the forum would be used to prepare for a re-run of the treaty.
"The Nice Treaty is dead. The Irish people have voted against it: 54 per cent to 46 per cent. The Green Party will not support any moves to try to add meaningless declarations or political statements to the exact same Nice Treaty, or any attempts to re-run a re-packaged, dressed-up second Nice referendum." The Greens hoped any outside experts invited to address the forum would be drawn from "a broad range of opinion".
Mr Mitchel McLaughlin of Sinn FΘin pointed out that the forum launch was taking place against the aftermath of the events of September 11th. While condemning the attacks that day, he said the bombing of Afghanistan was leading to large-scale loss of civilian lives and a humanitarian disaster.
Sinn FΘin welcomed the forum although it realised the Government parties intended to use it to prepare the ground for overturning the result of the Nice referendum.
Mr Joe Higgins, TD, of the Socialist Party, said "the purpose of this forum is neither to sweet talk nor to panic the electorate into passing Nice when a new referendum is called". As far as his party was concerned, the Irish people had spoken on Nice.
The Socialist Party wanted a "rigorous analysis" of the power structure of the EU, which was dominated by multinational capitalists and financial institutions.
The SP would challenge the European Commission's "relentless" push for privatisation which had suddenly become a very real issue for the workers of Aer Lingus . There should be "rigorous scrutiny" of the arms industry in the EU. It was appropriate to challenge the power of the "military-industrial complex" at this time.
The SP's vision was of a continent where control of major wealth, industries and natural resources was placed under the democratic control of working people, Mr Higgins said.
Mr Seamus Healy, on behalf of the Independent TDs, said that, in rejecting the Nice Treaty, the Irish people had rejected the militarisation of Europe and a "two-tier" EU. He hoped the Forum would not be a "smokescreen" to persuade the people to accept the Treaty in a second vote.
Senator Joe O'Toole, asked if it was time to put a "benchmark" in the Constitution designating the minimum level of participation in a referendum, for the result to be recognised as valid.