The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, has said the party's two MEPs have put behind them a dispute over speaking time in the European Parliament and that Ms Nuala Ahern is not carrying out her threat to leave the Green group in the parliament.
Ms Ahern, the party's Leinster MEP, last week accused Ms Patricia McKenna of using underhand tactics to prevent her from speaking in a debate on Ireland's EU presidency. This was strongly denied by Ms McKenna, who said her participation was appropriate because she is seeking re-election this year.
Ms Ahern, who is not seeking re-election, threatened to leave the Green group in the parliament after it accepted in her absence a request from Ms McKenna to be the only Irish Green Party speaker when the Taoiseach addressed the parliament.
Mr Sargent said yesterday he had spoken to both MEPs and they had put the matter behind them. Both were committed to the re-election of Ms McKenna in Dublin and the election of Ms Mary White in Leinster.
Ms Ahern could not be contacted as she is on a visit to India. The differences between the two MEPs reflects a division within Irish Greens between those who, like Ms McKenna, are critical of the direction the EU is taking and others who would like to adopt a more pro-European policy in line with most EU Green parties.
