FIANNA FÁIL MEP Brian Crowley has become embroiled in a diplomatic row with Czech president Vaclav Klaus while on a European Parliament trip to the Czech Republic.
Mr Crowley, who travelled to Prague yesterday for meetings with the Czech government, accused Mr Klaus of insulting the Irish people during his recent trip to Ireland.
"I told him what he did in Ireland on his recent State visit was an insult to the Irish people and myself personally," said Mr Crowley, who was one of several presidents of parliamentary groups who met Mr Klaus ahead of the Czech presidency of the EU.
"We don't want interference from outside about how we conduct our electoral business.
"It's up to the Irish people how we move forward," said Mr Crowley, who accused the Czech president of being deliberately provocative by attending a dinner hosted by Libertas chief Declan Ganley, a key No campaigner in the Lisbon referendum.
In reply, Mr Klaus told Mr Crowley that his comments were something reminiscent of what one would hear under Soviet dictatorship.
He said he had no regrets about his visit.
Green Party president Daniel Cohn-Bendit also strongly criticised Mr Klaus at the meeting over his relationship with Mr Ganley and his scepticism about climate change.
He also presented Mr Klaus with an EU flag at the meeting, a gesture that was angrily refused by the deeply Eurosceptic leader.
The combative meeting between the heads of the European Parliament's political groups and the Czech president provoked a terse response from the president's office.
"Mr Crowley's comments on the president's visit to Ireland were, well, peculiar," said Jiri Weigl, head of Mr Klaus's office.
"Mr Cohn-Bendit took his visit to the Prague castle as a mere provocation. I have to confess that such a tone and style of behaviour haven't been heard among those walls for the last 10 year. It's regrettable."