The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, will not sign up to any deal that involves the immediate ending of the Shannon stopover when talks take place this Friday among EU transport ministers.

A spokesman for the Minister said the Government wanted a "breathing space" of several years so that Shannon could work on replacing any business it might lose as a result of the stopover ceasing.

Mr Brennan will chair a crucial meeting of EU transport ministers this Friday in Brussels to discuss a possible "open skies" deal with the US. The European Commission is believed to be considering asking national governments to end bilateral deals they have with the United States as part of these negotiations.

The Shannon stopover currently means that half of all flights between Ireland and the US must allow passengers to disembark at Shannon. The Government is believed to want to keep this arrangement, possibly for up to four years.

Mr Brennan, while not threatening to veto any EU proposals at this time, is determined the stopover, which is governed by a US-Ireland bilateral agreement, is not immediately dispensed with. This is especially important to the Government in light of plans to set up Shannon as an independent entity. Several reports have warned that an open skies policy could initially pose dangers for Shannon.

Aer Lingus on the other hand wants greater access for Irish carriers to the US, as it is currently confined to just five US airports.

The European Commission is considering several scenarios in its attempt to agree a trans-Atlantic air pact with the US, a spokesman said yesterday.

The Commission wants to scrap bilateral deals between EU countries and Washington, opening up the market to greater competition and liberalisation. The negotiations have hit a stumbling block as the United States refuses to allow EU carriers access to domestic routes.

"We can continue negotiating, take what is on the table or restrict US access to the European market," EU Transport Commission spokesman Gilles Gantelet said.

He gave no further details of what the Commission would tell transport ministers. The Commission is holding the negotiations on behalf of the 25-nation bloc.

Britain in particular has held out for access to US domestic routes in return for allowing more at London's Heathrow airport.

The Commission launched the talks after the European Court of Justice said bilateral deals between a single EU state and the United States were against EU laws. It wants to agree a single deal between the bloc and Washington.

If no EU-wide deal can be reached, the Commission could force countries to scrap their bilateral deals. The United States has open skies pacts with 15 of the 25 nations of the EU and more limited deals with 10, including Britain. If the pacts were scrapped, the EU would have one year to find a solution to replace them.

 - (additional reporting by Reuters)