Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Will the Taoiseach outline whether there are substantive bilateral discussions in the offing with President Sarkozy or Chancellor Merkel? I do not mean talking on the margins, or on a bus. The Minister for Finance meets Christine Lagarde on a bus and this becomes "talks" or a meeting. We all know what happens on those bus trips from a meeting to a dinner; it is not substantive bilateral discussions on fundamental and profound issues such as the banking situation or the economic situation facing the country and the European response thereto. That is my point. There is a great deal of spinning and hype going on but it does not amount to a whole lot from what I can see or from what I hear in the Taoiseach's reply.

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