FORMER Taoiseach Mr Albert Reynolds will be offered a key non ministerial role in the Northern peace process if Fianna Fail enters government after the next general election.
Following remarks by the party leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, on RTE radio yesterday, Fianna Fail sources said it was envisaged that Mr Reynolds would become "a trouble shooter in a troubled land".
Details of the position he would fill have not been finalised but Mr Reynolds (who was unavailable for comment yesterday) has already discussed the matter in principle with Mr Ahern on several occasions. He is understood to be amenable to the idea of taking on a post that would allow him to use the extensive contacts he built up while a chief architect of the peace process.
During an interview on RTE's This Week programme, Mr Ahern said the former Taoiseach had "extraordinary talents" in this area. Confirming that he still saw a special role for Mr Reynolds, he said it was now unfortunately clear that his abilities were sorely missed in the Government and in the broader political and public domain over the past two years.
Mr Reynolds could play a full part, though in what capacity was a matter for them both to work out after the next election, Mr Ahern added. If he decides to stay in politics, he will "continue to be a very active person".
Since resigning as Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader over two years ago, Mr Reynolds has maintained an active interest in the peace process and is believed to be in regular contact with representatives of both Northern communities as well as politicians in Belfast and London. He was widely regarded as one of the most trusted politicians in the Republic among the republican movement and loyalists.
He placed the search for an end to the conflict at the top of his political agenda on taking office in early 1992 and sources in Fianna Fail said his knowledge would be invaluable to Mr Ahern in a future government, as the Northern Ireland brief is currently shared by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. But it is not clear how the proposed post would sit within the expected Fianna Fail/ Progressive Democrats coalition.
The proposal to appoint Mr Reynolds to such a role, however, may be overtaken by events if the President, Mrs Robinson, decides not to seek a second term of office. It is believed that in such an eventuality, Mr Reynolds would be keen to run for president.