Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The Minister for Foreign Affairs is acutely aware of this issue and has been very active in dealing with it for a number of years. The issue of immigration is extraordinarily fraught in the current campaign and we have to keep in touch with our various contacts on all sides to progress a bilateral arrangement in any way we can. There are a lot of difficulties around this and the most efficient way to proceed is to go as quietly as we possibly can. It concerns many other countries and complications and we are trying to pursue it but it is very difficult. I have spoken with US Senators and Congressmen in the recent past and it is going to be difficult to progress it in the context of the election. It is not an area in which common agreement exists and the extensive efforts which they have made on two rounds of it have not brought success, so we will just have to take our time in dealing with it. The Minister is doing that.

See this speech in context