Ireland faces ‘into the unknown’ if referendum rejected

Ireland will face “into the unknown” if voters reject the EU fiscal treaty, the Tánaiste has warned.

The foreign affairs minister said the chances of getting access to future bailouts from the IMF would be at risk, if the treaty was not passed in the May 31 referendum.

He did not go as far as Finance Minister Michael Noonan who said at the weekend that the IMF had made it “crystal clear” it would “not provide unilateral assistance to eurozone countries”.