Bertie Ahern
I think again in the movement of people, a country like that - and it's been our experience - free movement of finance and goods great historical culture and great tourism product in terms of not only good weather but also extremely historical connections.
I think a decision will be made that they will join. What period of negotiation I would say would be more a lengthier period than perhaps Turkey would want.
I mean what is it all about? Enlargement is to allow people the opportunity to have voice in Europe. I think Ireland is a good example of this - we've four million people, I sit on the same table as Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder, where I can put my point of view as a small country.
I mean we all understand now the conflicts and the differences we have and we all in our own countries I think are working to embrace different cultures, different religions and I think the Muslim population is enormous already within the European Community.
I know George Bush well, we work with him very well. We worked with President Clinton before him very well and we've worked with presidents of both Democrat and Republic persuasions over the years.
I hope that somewhere during this year that we can succeed in doing that, the people of Northern Ireland deserve it, they want it.
I hope people are more and more aware of that and we have to help them in their countries and we have to help them to become more sophisticated at farming but that means they need a market for their produce. There's a lot being done in this area.
I have met both the EC and WC of Jewish groups and indeed they've been very thankful for what we've been doing here and not only here, up until recently we had I think and all parties had a Jewish member of parliament, even though from a country that wouldn't have a huge population.
I don't think any of these things are major obstacles. I think they'll get there. Time to be decided in December but I don't think there's any doubt about it.
I don't have any fears about that and I've said this to the enlarged countries that I think they will find their experiences as one of exchange, of education, of sharing their views with others and I think that's a very positive thing.
I don't claim any credit for that but I think the convention did a very good job, I think Valery Giscard D'Estaing and his group and the various people who've worked on it have produced a very good convention report, a very good constitution.
I do believe that anyone looking at it and following it, it only takes a reasonable knowledge in public administration and most people do - most people would see that this is a good document.
I actually think the constitution is a far easier one to have it on because the constitution is fairly clear what is it about. It's a constitution that is simplifying, streamlining the rules of procedure, stating the competence of Europe.
I accept people would say from the developing world that it's too slow but I think there is a lot happening.
Every decade of the census in Ireland the population dropped. It has only been in the last decade or so, slightly more than now, that we've seen an increase in population.
Every day practically I meet somebody from the region, some political leader from the region, trying to do this and we'll keep our focus on this. So I wouldn't accept at all that we're in any way.
Can you imagine the effect of that? Proportionately we've the highest number of Nigerians when we entered the Community coming to Ireland. So it's been a huge change for us.
But what happened in the second campaign was that far more people took an interest in the campaign - trade unions acted for it, civic society got involved, employers got involved - they did not want to see Ireland reject enlargement.
But we're continuing - in the presidency - we've worked extremely hard to have a very fair and balanced view.
But we were seeing a situation where people were coming from elsewhere to abuse what was the position which we could not allow to continue.