Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Taoiseach for the briefing he gave yesterday to me and Deputies Timmins and Creighton on the preparations for the Lisbon treaty referendum. Fine Gael will support approval of the Lisbon treaty referendum when the Government sets a date for it. I will travel to Brussels today for the run-up to Friday's EU Council meeting. As I said to the Taoiseach yesterday, I will undertake to speak to the Heads of Government who are members of the European People's Party grouping in respect of gaining agreement for the declarations put forward in Ireland's interests.

Yesterday, there was a successful meeting of EU ambassadors with almost unanimous agreement on the Irish proposals for what has to be done with the Lisbon treaty. What are the Taoiseach's hopes for Friday's summit and what does he expect to get from it?

I noted the US President's recent speech on the Middle East. Ireland has held a position on the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Has the Taoiseach read the recent speech by the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, in which he said the two-state solution is, in principle, supportable but with the Palestinian state being demilitarised? This condition was rejected by the Palestinian authorities. Was this raised at the recent Prague EU summit? The difficulties between Israel and Iran are real and will have consequences in the partial recount of the recent Iranian elections.

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