FOR THE second time in a week, a Fine Gael Minister was obliged to apologise to the Dail yesterday.
After lengthy and acrimonious exchanges between the Taoiseach and Opposition leaders, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, acknowledged that he may have given the misleading impression that he was in the VIP lounge at Dublin Airport when the controversial Russian beef protocol was signed.
He divulged, during an hour long cross examination on his handling of the Russian beef contract, that he had been conducting a constituency clinic in Kavanagh's pub in Enniscorthy when the protocol was signed last Saturday. His officials received their instructions by telephone.
The Taoiseach knew all along that he was not at the airport, Mr Yates said. "He was of the view that there was no need for me to be there."
There were heated demands earlier from the Opposition leaders, Mr Ahern and Ms Harney, for Mr Yates to apologise to the Dail for stating on The Week in Politics programme last Saturday how on "Tuesday week, before I did a deal with the Russians last Saturday at 1 p.m. in the VIP lounge in Dublin airport..."
Mr Yates, in a prepared a statement later, accepted that he made that comment. It was bone of many comments and many interviews. It was a sentence out of what had been a two week debate on the matter.
"However, if I created a misleading impression then I apologise for that. I regret also that in a comment in the House yesterday, I may have unwittingly misled deputies on this subject. I simply had forgotten that I had used that sentence. What I meant was that I effected the deal, agreed to it, and took full responsibility for it," he said.
Responding to questions from the Fianna Fail spokesman, Mr Brian Cowen, Mr Yates stated that the protocol, which then excluded seven counties, first came on the agenda on the Friday morning. He was not personally involved in the discussions on the counties - Wexford, Longford, Donegal, Limerick, Cork, Tipperary and Monaghan. In cross examination, he did not appear to know the basis for the eventual ban.
Mr Yates said he met the Russian officials on two occasions during that week - in the Department and for a meal in the evening. The Taoiseach had a separate meal with them on Thursday evening.
He was in contact with the Taoiseach on Friday night, he added, and also with the secretary of his Department. He did not meet the Russian officials on the Friday or the Saturday.
