Taoiseach refuses to indicate position in talks

THE GOVERNMENT did not have a negotiating position in its EU/ IMF talks, Taoiseach Brian Cowen insisted. Mr Cowen was replying to Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, who pressed him on the status of the talks during Leaders’ Questions.

Mr Cowen said: “If the deputy thinks it is in the essential national interest of this country for me, as head of Government, to indicate what our negotiating position is before negotiations have even begun or before we have agreed to enter into them . . . pending these discussions that have to take place . . . then he is not very clever.”

Mr Gilmore said it was in the interest of the country for Mr Cowen “to be straight with us”.

Mr Gilmore again raised the issue on the Order of Business, recalling that Mr Cowen had earlier said he did not wish to reveal the Government’s negotiating position.

He asked when the Government had decided on its negotiating position in respect of the discussions.

Mr Cowen replied: “I answered a question by the deputy about our negotiating position. I said I would not tell him if I had one. . . That is what I said. We should get away from word games.”

Mr Gilmore said: “I am just trying to get to the point. It is very hard to get it from the Taoiseach.”

Mr Cowen replied: “We have not opened any negotiations.”

Mr Gilmore challenged Mr Cowen to say if he expected that conditions applying to the State would be discussed.

“Will the Government, and its successors, have to be committed to such conditions in respect of public policy and budgetary matters in return for whatever assistance is being provided for the banks?” he asked.

Mr Gilmore said they knew what was happening, so the House wanted to know the Government’s position. “What is its negotiating position and what is the intended objective and outcome from those discussions?”

Mr Cowen replied: “I reiterate that the statements made by Ministers last week and since then have been firmly based on the fact that we were not involved in negotiations and we are still not involved in negotiations.”

The objective, he said, was to ensure the State had a banking system that could access funds on the open market and that those markets were providing funds not only in Ireland but to the euro zone generally, at reasonable prices.