Gilmore agrees to meet Sarkozy

Labour leader Eamon Gilmor says he will now meet the French president later today to discuss the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.

Gilmore had refused an invitation to attend discussions with Nicolas Sarkozy saying the three minutes allocated to each speaker was not long enough.

However, following talks between the Labour party and the French Embassy over the weekend, Mr Gilmore says he now feels meaningful engagement is possible.

The French president touches down in Dublin at lunchtime, and begins his visit with a lunch meeting with the Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

There's been controversy over the purpose of the trip, after he told his own party in Paris last week that Ireland will need to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

However, Nicolas Sarkozy has since said that he simply wants to gain an understanding about why Irish voters rejected the treaty.

The president will also meet with the Opposition, as well as other Yes and No referendum campaigners.

Many have expressed concern that they will only have around three minutes each to outline their positions on the treaty.