Mr Minister,
Mr Ambassador,
Dear Colleagues members of the Dail Eireann and the Swiss Federal Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have the great pleasure of thanking you for your kind hospitality in Dublin and for the excellent programme the Irish Parliamentary Association has prepared. The discussions are most interesting. We are having an agreeable stay in Ireland.

This visit is an opportunity of getting to know each other better. Between Hibernia and Helvetia, there are some links. The Celtic settlements along the lake of Neuchâtel, then the activity of Saint Gall who brought Christianity to Switzerland in the seventh century. One of the last was the presence of your great writer James Joyce in Zurich where he died in 1941.

For centuries, our countries have lived in the shade of greater powers and in poor living conditions. People had to emigrate in large numbers. Both our countries have had to struggle for their independence. Now, we experience the challenge of being small in today's world but as we know small can be beautiful.

In his "History of Ireland", Conor O'Brien reminded Yeats' striking phrases, I quote: "four bells are heard, four deep and tragic notes in Irish history. The first was the Catholic Revolt in Elizabeth's reign which ended with the Protestant settlement of Ulster, a work of "pacification" taken to its logical conclusion fifty years later by Cromwell. The second bell, still echoing annually today, was the battle of the Boyne, when William of Orange defeated James the Second and put the seal on the Protestant ascendancy. The third was the impact of the French revolution giving rise to radical movements. The fourth was the fall of Charles Parnell, leader of the Land League when a disillusioned Ireland turned from parliamentary politics and the chain of events started which led to partition, the solution that solved nothing." (end of quotation).

But bells can also ring for more cheerful events. In 1973, Ireland became a member of the European Community and in June last year the Irish people accepted the Treaty on the European Union. The people of Ireland have clearly chosen their future and want to contribute to the efforts of uniting our continent.

When Speaker Treacy and his delegation visited Switzerland last year in August we were discussing membership of the Economic European Area. For us, this major step meant many changes. We had to amend 50 bills and were trying to safeguard as much as possible our direct democracy. While visiting different parts of Switzerland, the delegation was able to measure the strength of local democracy and federalism. In our approach to Europe, we believe in the values of both direct democracy and federalism. Because of our peculiarities, we are perhaps considered as slow and might not be always on time for our friends and partners.

Although a large majority in Parliament was in favour, the EEA treaty was rejected by the people by a narrow majority of 26 000 votes out of 3,7 million. The goal of our foreign policy is to become a member of the European Union. But for the time being, we are trying to work out bilateral agreements in different fields, then we will wait for the results of the referendums in the four EFTA countries that are applying for membership. The result will show if EEA has a future or is a mere temporary situation that will lead to ask for negotiations on full membership. We ask for your support in these bilateral talks perfectly realising that any result must satisfy both the CE and us and there can be no "pick and choose". The decision taken last week by the Council of ministers in Brussels was received with satisfaction in my country. We would like to thank the Irish Government for its cooperation.

Mr. Minister

At the end of the week, we will have the honour of meeting Mr Michael Smith, the Environment Minister in County Clare. We are happy to have the opportunity of seeing both the Minister and the Minister of State in charge of the Environment Department. In our countries, the environment problems have become a major political concern. We Swiss have developed a far reaching legislation to fight air and water pollution and to defend our countryside, our landscape and our Alpine regions. Ireland is the emerald island, the green pearl set in the silver sea. Therefore, all Irishmen belong to the Green Party, not officially but in their hearts, because they understand the global dimension of the environment and its importance for the future of mankind. Let us unite our efforts to safeguard our planet.

Dear Mr Browne, dear colleagues parliamentarians of both countries, Ladies and Gentlemen, I raise my glass in honour of the peoples of both countries, in honour of Mrs Mary Robinson, president of Ireland and to the personal prosperity, health and happiness of our Irish colleagues and friends.

Long live the friendship between Ireland and Switzerland !