Britain's Foreign
Secretary David Miliband said Sunday that Ireland shouldn't be
"bulldozed" into a re-run of the EU's Lisbon Treaty which the country
rejected in a referendum this week.
Miliband told the BBC that the Irish decision has to be respected and he added
that it was up to Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen whether to "apply the
last rites" to the treaty aimed at making the 27-member bloc more
efficient.
Irish voters rejected the treaty by 53.4 per cent to 46.6 per cent in
Thursday's referendum. The government hasn't ruled out putting the treaty
before the people for a second time.
Miliband said it was "absolutely clear" that the treaty cannot come
into effect unless it is endorsed by every EU member. He also rejected the
concept of a "two-speed Europe," by which some countries would band
together for closer integration, saying "that was the agenda of 1990, not
the 21st century."
The foreign secretary added that Britain would continue with the treaty
ratification process in parliament. To date the treaty has been ratified in 18
national parliaments. Ireland is the only country to hold a public referendum
on the treaty aimed at replacing the EU Constitution rejected by French and
Dutch voters.
Britain's opposition Conservative Party has said they would hold a referendum
on the treaty if in power.
EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss the way forward.
They will hear from Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin on
why the Irish voted no, dpa reported.