The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has attempted to draw a line under the controversy surrounding the junior minister in his department, Conor Lenihan, who told a TD working on behalf of Turkish migrant workers to "stick with the kebabs" during a Dáil debate.
Mr Lenihan, who is Minister of State for Overseas Development, has now apologised to the Dáil and personally to Socialist TD Joe Higgins over the remarks, which have led to calls for the Minister's resignation.
Mr Ahern said the remarks had been made "in the heat of the moment" and that he did not believe it was a resignation matter. "I came back here this afternoon and I spoke with Conor on the phone and he's extremely contrite about what happened," he said.
"As you know he did go into the Dáil and make a full apology immediately the remarks had been made, so I think that's the end of it."
Mr Higgins said Mr Lenihan's apology was not satisfactory, and he should give a more expanded explanation before the Dáil today, along with definitive proposals by the Government to address the ongoing issue surrounding the Gama workers. "He rang me and I indicated to the Minister for State that I'm more interested in actions rather than words," Mr Higgins told The Irish Times.
Yesterday Labour TD Joan Burton, a former minister for overseas co-operation, said her personal opinion was that Mr Lenihan's position was untenable. He had "slunk into the Dáil" she said and made "an absolutely miserable apology, and then slunk out again".
Privately, a number of Government TDs and senators indicated they believed the remarks had been wholly unacceptable, especially in the context of Mr Lenihan's job dealing with foreign jurisdictions.