EU: Pro-neutrality campaigners said they would welcome a proposed "opt-out" clause for Ireland under the new EU constitution in relation to security and defence.
However, they said a protocol was needed to safeguard Irish neutrality, and they called on the Government to demand this in negotiations.
Mr Andy Storey, a board member of Afri, which campaigned against the Nice Treaty on militarism grounds, said it was "better" that Ireland could opt out of the proposed mutual defence pact as it could potentially be invoked following an act of terrorism "to justify a disproportionate and unspecified reaction against certain foes".
However, he said, the pact was "largely a red herring" as "it does not deal with the substance of the problem of the militarisation of the EU", including the development of a Rapid Reaction Force, and the strengthening of military ties between member states.
"We are concerned that by focusing on an opt-out clause from the defence pact it makes all of that other stuff OK," he said.
Green Party MEP Ms Patricia McKenna said, rather than merely opting out, Ireland should be pursuing an "active and positive neutrality", which would include seeking support from other neutral states for "peace and disarmament" initiatives.
She said if the Government was serious about neutrality it would have blocked approval of a new EU research and development arms agency at last summer's EU summit .
"This agency, which will be funded by EU taxpayers, is going ahead with the blessing of Bertie Ahern, and will be established during the Irish presidency to try to put the EU weapons industry onto an equal footing with the US".
Mr Roger Cole, chairman of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, said the opt-out clause was "a step in the right direction", although "there appears to be something of the 'let me lose my virginity, but not just yet' about it. What we really need is a protocol, similar to that negotiated by Denmark, excluding Ireland completely from the militarisation of Europe."
He noted Ireland's neutrality was already being breached with the transit of more than 90,000 US soldiers through Shannon Airport before and after the Iraq war.
