Ahern: We will have referendum on EU Constitution

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern has vowed to press ahead with a planned Irish referendum on the proposed EU Constitution, despite France's rejection of the document.

Around 55% of the French electorate voted 'no' in a referendum over the weekend, raising serious doubts about the future of the proposed constitution.

The document must be ratified by all 25 member states before it can take effect.

Despite the French result, Mr Ahern said Irish voters were still entitled to give their view.

Fine Gael and the Labour Party have both backed this stance, but former independent MEP Rosemary 'Dana' Scallan said the French vote should be respected.

She said there was no need whatsoever for an Irish referendum because the Netherlands was expected to vote 'no' on Wednesday and the British electorate was also likely to do so.

"European law states that, if one country rejects a treaty, then it cannot be enacted," she said. "I believe it would be very wrong to try to have a public referendum in Ireland."