Cowen defends second Nice referendum

Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen has defended the Government’s decision to re-run the referendum on the Nice Treaty, even though it was rejected by 54% of Irish voters last year.

In a speech in Dublin this morning, Mr Cowen said the Government is not ignoring the outcome of last year’s vote, but believes the treaty is so important that it has decided to re-run the referendum in the hope of securing a positive result.