Kouchner seeks to quell Lisbon controversy
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said he will not pressure the Government to hold a second vote on Lisbon Treaty, seeking to quell a controversy stoked by President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Mr Kouchner will join Mr Sarkozy in Ireland on Monday after voters here last month rejected the Lisbon Treaty, which is aimed at streamlining decision-making across the 27-nation bloc.
“I don't plan to persuade them to vote again. The goal of this trip is to listen to the Irish people,'' Mr Kouchner told reporters in Paris today. The important thing is not to teach them lessons."