Summit a fiasco for Ireland - Opposition

The EU's decision to take part in an Afghanistan peace enforcement mission will reinforce the fear of many of the Irish public about the EU's developing foreign policy, a number of Opposition parties have warned.

The Laeken meeting had ended "with the worst possible set of actions, deceptions and language for Ireland and Europe," the Labour Party's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Michael D. Higgins, warned.

"The Government failed to reject outright its participation in a British-led force in Afghanistan that is in reality part of the United States' logistical command and that will ex post facto seek a blessing from the United Nations.

"The Government owes it to the Irish people and to the United Nations to defend what is left of its self-respect. If it cannot do so, it should resign," said the Galway West TD angrily.

The "informal militaristic preliminaries and epilogues in London" have also damaged Ireland's Forum on Europe. "To remember Laeken as a fiasco would be kind. It was much more," he said. The EU leaders' decision to choose Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing as President of the Convention on the Future of Europe was "a terribly backward step" that symbolised the summit's failure, he said.

The EU had failed to issue a strong message of support for the Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, in the face of the US decision to block UN observers from going to the Middle East. "It was as weak a statement that has ever been issued by the EU's leaders. A sad day for Ireland, for the European Union, for the United Nations, and for the Palestinians," said Mr Higgins.

The summit declared the EU's fledgling Rapid Reaction Force operational, but failed to agree how it could use NATO logistics support because of a rift between Greece and Turkey.

The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent said the Government's attitude to the Afghanistan mission remained "vague".

The meeting had illustrated the need for a referendum on neutrality. "We need to have one to show what type of neutrality, if any, that we should be going for," said Mr Sargent.