asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the protests, if any, the Government has made to the President of the EC Commission, Mr. Delors, regarding his proposal for an EC defence summit, especially as such a proposal would be incompatible with Irish neutrality; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Proposed EC Defence Summit.
26.
The remarks of the President of the Commission of the European Communities to which the Deputy refers were of an informal, personal nature and therefore did not warrant a formal protest. The Irish Government's position regarding the holding of a meeting of Heads of Government of the EC member states to discuss the elimination of medium range missiles in Europe was clearly set out in my statement of 20 March, 1987. In that statement I said that "such a meeting would not be acceptable to Ireland. The scope of European political Co-operation is confined to the political and economic aspects of security. The elimination of medium range nuclear missiles in Europe is an issue which falls outside this scope and is not within the competence either of the European Community or of European Political Co-operation. The Single European Act, as the latest formulation of the scope of EPC, confirms that it is limited to the political and economic aspects of security."