Ahern to meet Berlusconi over EU constitution

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern will meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome today in a bid to move closer to a resolution on a new EU constitution.

The meeting comes just days after German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder poured cold water on the Taoiseach’s chances of securing agreement on the problematic constitution during Ireland’s six-month presidency.

In advance of travelling to Italy this morning, Mr Ahern said today’s talks would be important given the perspective of the Italians as the last EU president.

“My discussions with Prime Minister Berlusconi will be particularly important. The Italian Presidency made significant progress on the new European Constitution during its term and the Italian Prime Minister will have an important insight into the process.”

Despite recent setbacks, Mr Ahern said his consultations with EU leaders were ongoing.

“I have found my counterparts united in their support for our efforts,” he said.

While shying away from committing to a resolution before the end of the Irish presidency, Mr Ahern remained upbeat.

“As Presidency, we are determined to do all that we can to make progress. Whether agreement is possible under our Presidency or later ultimately depends on whether sufficient political will exists to achieve a compromise on a key number of contentious issues,” he said.