PD reaction:Progressive Democrats deputy leader Liz O'Donnell has defended the decision of party leader Michael McDowell to make a call for clarification by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on his personal finances, without having attempted to speak to him about the issue.
Speaking on radio yesterday Ms O'Donnell said Mr McDowell was "obligated" to consult his colleagues in the party about the controversy in the first place.
He didn't have time to contact Mr Ahern about the payments issue, in advance of Saturday's discussions with party colleagues, Ms O'Donnell claimed.
"There wasn't an opportunity," she said on RTÉ's News at One. "Events were unfolding and I think the Tánaiste had an obligation to discuss things in the first place with us."
She added that she believed that Mr McDowell and Mr Ahern would have talks today about the issue on the sidelines of the reopening of the Northern Assembly in Stormont, which they are both attending.
"I'm sure the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste will have discussions tomorrow."
Speaking later on Newstalk 106, Ms O'Donnell rejected Fianna Fáil Minister of State Noel Ahern's claim that the party was "stroke pulling".
She said: "It wasn't a political stroke by raising these issues. It may well be seen as damaging our party by raising publicly our concerns, but we have to make a principled stand on this."
Ms O'Donnell added: "If information came into the possession of the Tánaiste, the leader of our party, which is completely at variance to the narrative that the Taoiseach had given to him in relation to the transaction on his house, he felt in principle obliged to discuss it with his colleagues, then to reflect on these matters and call for the Taoiseach to make a statement."
She said she was "very pleased" the Taoiseach had seen that it was in his interest to seek to clarify these matters .
Asked if she would be prepared to go back into coalition with Fianna Fáil with Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, she said: "Yes I would if a credible and comprehensive statement can be made by the Taoiseach to assuage all of these concerns that have been generated by the leaking of the documents.
She said he "has to come out and try and assuage public concerns, not only the concerns of the Progressive Democrats but of the body politic and of our citizens to know whether these matters are true or false".