Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have great sympathy for the Greek people and I have expressed this view on several occasions in the House. I have also been quite helpful to the Greek authorities in moving to the present position whereby realistic negotiations are taking place. I do not have the strong personal relationship that the Deputy's group and Sinn Féin have with the party of government in Greece because I do not share the commitment to its economic policies which Sinn Féin and the socialist group seem to share. That being so, I have a good working relationship.

Emergency liquidity assistance, ELA, is entirely a matter for the European Central Bank, and at yesterday's meeting I sought clarification from Mr. Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, about how long he thought it was feasible to continue to pay ELA to Greece. The Deputy will recall from newspaper reports that he is already on record as saying it must be reconsidered on a daily basis. The important point I was making is that the new round of negotiations has a very short timeframe in which to be concluded satisfactorily, or there is a risk that ELA will be cut off, because it is bound by legal arrangements in the European Central Bank. It is very important that an agreement with Greece is fully negotiated by Thursday at the latest. That is my position. Anything else is based on leaks, supposition and spin.

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