Mr. Jean-Claude Trichet:

We never hesitated to assist Ireland as a country. We did much more than any other Central Bank did for any country in the world. First remark and am strong on that because these are facts. Second, I would probably have said this is a new concept of extreme importance. You should discuss that immediately with the other governments of the euro area, because the impact on all the euro area of the guarantee was considerable. I had a number of governments calling me and saying: "What can we do? Ireland just gave a guarantee to its banks." So I would have said this is absolutely a, I would say, new concept. You are introducing a new concept. Discuss it immediately in the Eurogroup or even in the European Council, because all the decisions at the time were going up to the Heads of State and Government.