The Labour Party leader has agreed with opponents of the Amsterdam Treaty that the Government's wording for the referendum could allow Ireland to join a defence pact without a further referendum. Mr Ruairi Quinn will meet the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, today to discuss concerns that the wording would give the Government a "constitutional blank cheque".
He stressed yesterday that his party supported the Amsterdam Treaty. "The Labour Party's concern relates to the clause in the Government amendment which states that `the State may exercise the options or discretions provided by the treaties'," Mr Quinn said in a statement yesterday.
"This clause could give constitutional sanction to a broad range of options including justice and home affairs co-operation and a common defence, even membership of the Western European Union. As it stands, the Government's wording could allow Ire land to participate in a common European defence arrangement or in the integration of the Western European Union within the EU", he said.
"The Irish people should not be asked to vote for such an open-ended clause based purely on the non-binding promises of the Government of the day".