The beleaguered Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, will not to be asked to step down as co-chairman of the Northern talks, or to resign, because of the continuing controversies surrounding him.
In the absence of further disclosures, the Minister is not expected to be pressurised by his Government colleagues to move, senior sources said last night.
However, the possibility that Mr Burke may step down of his own volition at a later stage is not being ruled out. The passports controversy is expected to be raised at Cabinet today and will be further considered when the Taoiseach meets the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, for the second time in two days to discuss the issue.
The funeral of his brother, Sean, in Dublin today prevents Mr Burke from heading the Government delegation at the opening of the Stormont talks, and his place will be taken by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.
However, the motion to establish the tribunal of inquiry into planning matters in north Co Dublin will proceed in the Dail this afternoon and should be concluded tonight. The new judicial body is expected to sit within two weeks.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, resisted Opposition suggestions that the debate on the terms of reference for the planning tribunal should not go ahead today. The Fine Gael Chief Whip, Mr Sean Barrett, argued that there was no point in engaging in such an exercise until Mr Ahern had made a full statement to the Dail on the latest controversy to involve Mr Burke involving the issuing of 11 passports to a wealthy Saudi Arabian banker.
Following the latest revelations about Mr Burke's involvement in the issuing of passports in 1990, and amid growing alarm among the Progressive Democrats membership, Ms Harney sought a meeting with Mr Ahern yesterday. The two leaders met at his constituency office in Dublin for 25 minutes and both later insisted there had been no undermining of trust between them and no threat posed to the Government's cohesion.
Ms Harney declined to answer questions about Mr Burke's position in Government but confirmed that she had been informed at the end of July that Mr Ahern had investigated the role of the Minister in the sale of passports to Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfouz.
It later emerged that "an individual" from outside the political arena brought the passports issue to her attention on July 31st and she discussed the matter with Mr Ahern the following day.
The Taoiseach told her he had "checked it out" and said there was nothing untoward to be found. Ms Harney accepted his explanation and, according to sources in her party, was not disturbed that she had not been told of the entire affair when they were discussing the formation of the Government or Mr Burke's appointment to Foreign Affairs.
Official Government spokesmen indicated on Sunday that Ms Harney was not informed by Mr Ahern of his inquiries, either before or after the formation of the FF/PD Government. A spokesman for the Taoiseach confirmed also on Sunday that Mr Ahern had not informed Ms Harney of the three inquiries he had conducted into the affair.
Mr Ahern described the latest controversy surrounding the passports affair as an attempt to "nail" Mr Burke. It was "a pity the entire file and all the notes" had not been placed in the public domain long before this but, irrespective of what happened now, he believed that "people will continue saying things about Ray Burke".
A Government spokesman last night said the former justice minister, Mrs Nora Owen, had received a report on the issuing of the passports in January 1995, three months after it had been ordered by her predecessor, Mrs Maire Geoghegan-Quinn.
"Now, 2 1/2 years on, Fine Gael have decided to make an issue of it. It is being used for purely political purposes. If it contained anything significant, they would have made an issue of it before now . . . It is a feeble attempt to undermine the cohesion of the Government", the spokesman added.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, turned the focus of attention from Mr Burke to the Taoiseach, saying that "sacrificing" Mr Burke over a matter that Mr Ahern knew about all along would damage the credibility of the Government even further.
Describing the Government as "in crisis" and like a "rudderless ship", the Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said neither the Taoiseach nor the Tanaiste was able or willing to show any authoritative leadership.
There was an obligation on both leaders to make comprehensive statements to the Dail, and Ms Harney, in particular, should say why she allowed her spokesmen to "repeatedly claim" she had no knowledge of the inquiry conducted by the Department of Justice official, Mr Dermot Cole.
Meanwhile, the Moriarty tribunal team has been confirmed. Mr Justice Michael Moriarty will be assisted by Mr John Coughlan SC, Mr Gerry Healy SC and Ms Jacqueline O'Brien BL. The tribunal will sit in Dublin Castle.