Press Release: Minister for Defence strongly urges yes vote in Nice Treaty referendum at naval commissioning

The Irish Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, who was speaking at a Commissioning Ceremony at Haulbowline in Cork on 12 September 2002, urged the Irish people to vote 'yes' in the referendum on the Treaty of Nice and stressed that any suggestion that Irish neutrality was compromised by the Nice Treaty was without foundation. He went on to say that Ireland's involvement in the European Foreign and Security Policy, would enhance its ability to participate in humanitarian, peacekeeping and crisis management tasks.

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