French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday held European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson responsible for Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
Asked whether European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was to blame for the Irish "no" vote, Sarkozy said "you cannot blame that on Barroso. Choose another one, a better one. Mandelson, for instance."
Sarkozy accused the EU trade chief of making too many concessions in the ongoing WTO (World Trade Organization) trade talks.
At a press conference here at the conclusion of the first day of an EU summit, Sarkozy said that the European Commission's trade policies had alarmed Irish farmers and contributed to the "no" vote.
"Seriously, the question of the WTO was clearly mentioned in Ireland," he told reporters.
Sarkozy reiterated his opposition to a deal shaping up at the WTO negotiations and even ruled out the possibility of concluding the trade talks amid the EU treaty impasse.
"It would be nonsensical to continue to negotiate an agreement which would lead to a 20-percent reduction in agricultural output in a world where 800 million people are dying of hunger," Sarkozy said.
"Frankly, there is only one person who thinks like that and it is Peter Mandelson and it's not France's position," the French president asserted.
Source: Xinhua
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