The Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has called for a No vote in the Amsterdam Treaty referendum later this month.
Irish CND held its 40th annual conference at the weekend, where the chairman, Mr Bill Fitzpatrick, said that the Amsterdam Treaty undermined Irish neutrality. The treaty also bolstered nuclear weapons and nuclear alliances, such as the WEU and NATO, and supported the European armaments industry.
The vice president, the Rev Terence McCaughey, said "those supporting the Amsterdam Treaty must not be allowed to portray neutrality as an opt-out. It has been a positive force for peace, directed through the UN on behalf of the world community." The treaty provided for peacekeeping without a UN mandate, which would undermine both Ireland's international role and the UN itself, he said.