EU deal was the highlight for Taoiseach

CLINCHING agreement on the new European Constitution in June was the highlight of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s political year, he revealed yesterday.

Talking to the families of people who died in the Omagh bombing while news of the Madrid bombing was breaking and working with the sisters of kidnapped Irish woman Margaret Hassan to keep her alive were among his low points.

But his big New Year resolution is to work harder at keeping fit after losing a stone and half this year.

“When you are in your ‘50s it is not easy to do that hard running - even yesterday I was out in the rain, I enjoy it - it is tough to stay fit when you are in your ‘50s but it is enjoyable,” Mr Ahern said.

Speaking on the Sam Smyth Show on Today FM yesterday, the Taoiseach said his highlight of 2004 was when all the European Council stood in ovation after the Irish Presidency managed to clinch a deal on a new European constitution in June. At the start of the year nobody in the European Council believed Ireland could clinch a deal.

“When everyone jumped to their feet, I was left there sitting - it was the first time I had ever seen everyone up cheering and that was a heartening moment - not just for me, it was for Ireland,” Mr Ahern said.

Asked if being voted European Statesman of the Year was not one of his finest hours, the Taoiseach quipped: “Yes, well it is nice for at least five minutes to get some recognition.”

There were two major low points in Mr Ahern’s year: the first was when he heard of the Madrid bombing in March and had the relatives of the Omagh bombing in his office; the second was meeting the sisters of Margaret Hassan who was subsequently murdered in Iraq. “One of the worst moments was when word came to my office of what had happened in Madrid when I was talking to the Omagh families, many of whom had been in Madrid just a few weeks earlier,” Mr Ahern said. The other event he found really hard during the year was when he was with the sisters of Margaret Hassan. “That was so sad and I was very involved with that case for several weeks - unfortunately that did not work out a good end, but I felt so sorry for the sisters and they were absolutely traumatised after weeks of sadness.”

Asked if the devastating result for Fianna Fáil in the June local elections when they lost 84 seats was a low point, Mr Ahern replied: “No, but in the end of the day I am too long in politics to understand the ups and downs - these are not the hard things - the sad thing is when it is life and death.”

Fianna Fáil had a great result in the 1999 local elections and they were off the headlines in 24 hours, “but when you don’t have a good result you are still on it six weeks later.”