24 February 2001

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Vote NO to Treaty of Nice

A committee convened by the Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle met in Dublin today to formalise the party's strategy and campaign in relation to the Treaty of Nice.    Sinn Fein Mayor of Sligo, Alderman Sean MacManus said:

``Today, Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle members and party activists met in Dublin to formalise the party's strategy and campaign in relation to the Treaty of Nice.

``Sinn Fein believes that if accepted this Treaty would be determinental to Ireland's interests, north and south.  Not only would it result in the further undermining of Irish sovereignty - politically and economically - it would also bring us closer into a European military alliance.

``For Sinn Fein, sovereignty means recognising the rights of the people, not ceding power to unelected officials.  We want to see Europe defending our democratic rights, not eroding them.

``Over the next few months Sinn Fein will be mounting a vigorous public campaign in opposition to the Treaty of Nice.  This will include public meetings, door to door canvassing and cooperation with groups such as the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA).  We will also be building alliances with progressive forces in Europe who share our concerns.

``In recent years there has been a growing awareness that Irish governments have been less than honest in relation to the amount of power that has been handed over to bureaucrats in Brussels.   We believe that if people have full access to the information, then the Treaty of Nice will be rejected.''

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