France tones down rhetoric for Sarkozy visit
Mr Sarkozy would not tell the Irish to vote again or try to teach them lessons during his visit to Dublin on Monday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in Paris.
Mr Sarkozy, who is the current EU president, told the journal International Politics he wanted to calmly consider what those in favour and against the Lisbon treaty have to say during his four-hour trip.
Mr Kouchner, who created a furore when he said before the referendum that Ireland would suffer if the treaty were rejected, adopted a different tone.
“The purpose of the trip is to listen to the Irish,” said Mr Kouchner, who will be accompanying Mr Sarkozy on the trip.
“The intention is not to teach lessons or convince them to vote again.”
He added the French would not have liked anybody to tell them what to do after they rejected the Constitution three years ago.
However, Mr Kouchner said while the time was not right to talk about the future during this trip, a choice would have to be made at some stage between the Lisbon and Nice treaties for the EU to function.
He said he did not know when that time would be, but he assumed a decision would have to be made before the European Parliament elections next year.
Mr Sarkozy is furious with leaks from his own party members of his comments that Ireland will have to vote a second time on the Lisbon treaty.
In the meantime, Europe Minister Dick Roche has said he did not know if the Irish would be able to provide a solution before the European Parliament elections.
