Kenny told to 'stand up' for Ireland

The Taoiseach was accused of not standing up for Irish interests following high level EU “secretive emergency meetings” without…

The Taoiseach was accused of not standing up for Irish interests following high level EU “secretive emergency meetings” without any Irish involvement.

But Enda Kenny said that "we will deal with our problem in our way".

He told Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams that "we will continue to negotiate to achieve an interest rate reduction and to seek improvements in the deal for Ireland" with its international partners.

Mr Adams highlighted a "secretive emergency meeting" last week in Luxemboug with "select EU finance ministers" involving France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, the European Central Bank and EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs Olli Rehn.

He said during leaders questions in the Dáil: "Tomorrow EU commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and German chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU council president are to meet not to discuss the Irish situation but to discuss the Greek situation."

Mr Adams added: "Greece and Portugal are on top of the conversation at the EU. Why isn't Ireland?"

The Sinn Féin leader called on the Taoiseach to "stand up for Irish interests. You're not at this point doing it."

He said the loan interest rate reduction "is going to happen anyway" and the Taoiseach needed to "catch the attention of the senior partners in this two-tier European Union and tell them that this debt is not sustainable," he said in reference to the State's banking debts.

The Taoiseach said he had "no intention of decrying the people of Greece and Portugal or their governments who are dealing with very difficult situations. We want to focus on the difficulties we have."

Mr Kenny told him that the EU "ministers for finance meet next Monday. These matters are on the agenda and we will be in discussion and negotiation with our counterparts and hopefully a conclusion can be reached."

The Taoiseach said "an interest rate reduction would obviously be very welcome but we have to look at that as one issue and to seek improvements in the overall bailout".

When Mr Adams said that during Greek demonstrations protesters held up placards saying "we are not the Irish", Mr Kenny said: "I will stand up and be proud to stand up in respect of the Irish and all things Irish and all those who serve the Irish state".

He stressed that "we are not the Greeks. We are the Irish and we will deal with our problem in our way. We were left a particular legacy by the previous government but in respect of our practical approach in being upfront with the people here and in respect of our European colleagues we will spell it out as we see it."