French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to make his first official visit to Ireland on Monday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is starting an official visit to Ireland to discuss how to proceed after the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
He will meet Taoiseach Brian Cowen during the trip, which is expected to last less than six hours in total.
He will meet Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen during the trip, which is expected to last less than six hours.
The meeting will also be attended by Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin and his French counterpart.
Earlier this month, Mr Sarkozy said the Republic of Ireland would have to hold a second referendum on the EU treaty.
Earlier this month, Mr Sarkozy said Ireland would have to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Dublin says that remark by Mr Sarkozy annoyed many Irish politicians.
However, Micheal Martin said Mr Sarkozy was coming to listen and would not to "impose solutions" on Irish voters, who rejected the treaty on 12 June.
He stressed that Ireland would make its own decision over the treaty, adding that it was too early to say what that would be.
The French president is expected to hold a press conference and also visit his country's embassy in Dublin.
EU presidency
France currently holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency and is keen to resolve the Lisbon Treaty stumbling block before its presidency ends.
Mr Sarkozy was quoted as saying "the Irish will have to vote again" after speaking to deputies from his conservative UMP party.
Ireland was the only one of 27 EU member states to hold a referendum on the treaty, which is aimed at streamlining EU institutions to improve decision-making in the enlarged bloc.
Ireland was the only one of 27 EU member states to hold a referendum on the treaty, which is aimed at streamlining EU institutions to improve decision-making in the enlarged bloc.
Critics see the treaty as further evidence of a federalist, pro-integration agenda at work in the EU.
Time for reflection
After the Irish No vote on 12 June the Irish government said it would analyse the reasons for the result and present its ideas at an EU summit in October. France took on the EU's six-month rotating presidency on 1 July.
In an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stressed that the French president was on a mission to listen to Irish views.
"I believe what we shall do on Monday is listen to them, but we're not visiting them in our capacity as the French (EU) presidency. We'll listen to the parties, to civil society, to the intellectuals... To say that this can be settled quickly is not true. Time is needed," he said.
His Irish counterpart Micheal Martin said Mr Sarkozy was not visiting to "impose solutions" on Irish voters.
He stressed that Ireland would make its own decision over the treaty, adding that it was too early to say what that would be.
Mr Sarkozy is expected to hold a press conference and also visit his country's embassy in Dublin.
Our correspondent says that Mr Sarkozy's proposed round-table meeting of pro- and anti-treaty parties and groups has upset the leaders of established parties in Ireland, aghast at the prospect of taking a table with the anti-treaty coalition.
Mr Sarkozy argues that 23 countries have ratified the Lisbon Treaty and that their support for it has to be recognised, whatever the views of Irish voters.
What are your expectations of President Sarkozy's visit to Ireland? Are you affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments using the form below.
What are your expectations of President Sarkozy's visit to Ireland? Are you affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments using the form below.
