Libertas Leader To Appear Before Committee

The chairman of Libertas, Declan Ganley, will face some tough questions today and he prepares to appear before a committee on the Lisbon Treaty this morning.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Ireland's Future in Europe will hear from Mr Ganley whose controversial group Libertas led the successful campaign for a No vote in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

The group have been consistently hounded by the pro Lisbon parties to reveal the source of the parties considerable income.

Committee chairman and Fine Gael Senator, Paschal Donohoe, said it was important that members hear submissions from all sides before the committee compiles its final report toward the end of next week.

Mr Ganley was also caught up in a controversy last week while making a joint press conference the Czech Republic President, Vaclav Klaus.

President Klaus who has described the Lisbon Treaty as "dead" said at the press conference, which followed a dinner reception with Mr Ganley, that the Czech people "shared the views of the citizens of Ireland", and outraged the Irish foreign minister Michael Martin.

(DW)