May 29th is preferred referendum date - reports

May 29 th is the preferred date for the Lisbon Treaty referendum, according to a Reuters report this afternoon which quotes Government…

May 29 this the preferred date for the Lisbon Treaty referendum, according to a Reuters report this afternoon which quotes Government sources.

The Government Press Office was insistent there was no decision on the final date as yet. But Reuters quotes two Government sources saying May 29th was the preferred date agreed at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

However, it will not be confirmed until a wording for the text of the constitutional amendment has been agreed with Fine Gael and Labour.

The date is due to be finalised following discussions between the parties and Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche.

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"It looks like we can get agreement on the final wording of the Bill and have it approved by Cabinet within the next ten days. Both the Labour Party and Fine Gael have been very constructive so far," a Government official said.

"There's no formal date set but our understanding internally is that it will be May 29 th... The smart money is certainly on that date," a separate source quoted by Reuters said.

The final draft of the referendum Bill will probably be approved by the Cabinet towards the end of this month and debated soon after in the Dail.

The Irish Timesreports this morning that the Bill will be published in the first week of March and the Referendum Commission will be given €5 million to run a 12-week publicity campaign.

The political establishment supports the treaty with Sinn Fein the only Dail party opposing it. The Green Party's TDs also support the treaty though members are free to oppose it.

The treaty provides for a long-term president of the EU from 2009; a more powerful foreign policy chief; and changes to voting rules which supporters say is needed for effective decision-making in an expanded 27-member European Union.