THE British government, at all levels, has been in constant contact with Mr Bertie Ahern, the Fianna Fail leader, since the Monday after the general election.
Mr Ahern had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, last week. He had a fairly lengthy discussion with the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, this week and his adviser, Dr Martin Mansergh, attended a number of high-level meetings in London on Thursday.
These developments were announced by Mr Ahern at an impromptu press conference with the Progressive Democrats leader, Ms Mary Harney, in a Dublin hotel yesterday.
Following publication of the two parties' programme for government - the "Action Programme for the Millennium" - Mr Ahern said he hoped all Independent TDs, or at least the majority of them, would support the programme.
I have already had a number of meetings with Independents over the last week," he stated. "You can take it that Mary Harney and myself have discussed all approaches to the Independents. We have not concluded our negotiations."
Asked if he had any commitments that Independents would vote for him in the election for Taoiseach, he responded: "It would be too strong to say "commitments" at this stage. But I hope I have a number of understandings."
On the share-out of Cabinet posts with his Progressive Democrat partners, Mr Ahern stated that "our understandings" on those issues were fairly complete. The programme for government had been completed in record time. He had been involved in such negotiations over many years - in 1989, 1992 and on two occasions in 1994, and they were not very successful on the last occasion. It normally took two to three weeks and the Dail was delayed.
He was then asked if the election commitments to hold a referendum and/or legislation on abortion, to stop State funding of political parties and to publish the papers in the McCole case still stood. They are not contained in the coalition's programme.
There were hundreds of points of policy put forward by both of their parties, Mr Ahern explained, and these commitments were not things that divided them. "We have already stated on the McCole case that we will look at what we can publish as quickly as we can," he said.
Asked to outline their intentions on the review of the electoral system, Ms Harney said they wanted to ensure that the government looked at the whole issue of electoral reform, perhaps producing a Green Paper. "We haven't decided which way we will go in that regard but the government wants to examine our electoral system," she added.
When Ms Harney was asked if they had decided to change the system, she replied that they were going to examine it with a view to publishing proposals. Their intention initially was to produce government proposals and then seek all-party support for them.
Asked if we had heard the last of the water charges issue, Ms Harney said it was never going to be in the programme for government. "1 never sought to have water charges reintroduced."
Given that the Tanaiste's Office will be abolished, Mr Ahern was asked if the Tanaiste would get the same briefing papers as the Taoiseach, as was the practice in the last government, and memoranda from all Departments for Cabinet.
"Whoever is Tanaiste will, of course, get all briefing papers,"
Mr Ahern said. Ms Harney added that the position of the Tanaiste was defined in the Constitution and that had not changed. "Offices and things of that matter don't change the role of Tanaiste."
Turning to the co-ordination of Northern Ireland policy, Mr Ahern said they would work together on it. He had told his parliamentary party on Thursday that Northern Ireland policy for the immediate period ahead was going to be of vital interest to everybody on this island. "We will work totally together on that issue and whatever briefings there are, whoever are involved in them, will be worked out by the two of us," he added.
He revealed the extent of his contact with the British government at this point in the press conference.
Asked if he wanted to have an early meeting with the British Prime Minister, preferably before Drumcree, Mr Ahern responded: "Whatever about an early meeting, you can take it we will have direct contact. One of the things I now know is that maybe every time that there is a phone call between the government and the Prime Minister, it is not altogether the best thing that everybody else knows about the phone call. I know that this has created annoyance in the past. Officials told me."
Asked if a former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, would be an envoy, Mr Ahern said it was still something he had to work on "but anything that Albert Reynolds will be doing will be in conjunction with me."
Ms Harney indicated, at this stage, that she was happy with arrangements on Northern Ireland. It was very important, she said, that the government spoke with one voice.
Mr Ahern said that a meeting between him and Mr Gerry Adams was "highly unlikely" before the Dail met. But it was not ruled out on the basis that he had stated last Monday. If somebody from Sinn Fein wanted to talk to him about the restoration of the cease-fire, it would be totally wrong of him not to make himself available to discuss that issue. He was not available to discuss any other issue.
He knew from his own contacts this week that people were working very hard behind the scenes to prevent another Drumcree. "I know from the people I have spoken to that they see that there are about eight or nine days left to try to deal with this issue," he added.
Asked if it was appropriate that the Superintendent of the Houses of the Oireachtas, Mr Eamonn O'Donohue, had made his private office available to the Sinn Fein TD, Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain, during the week to conduct an RTE interview when he, as leader of the Opposition, was precluded from holding press conferences in his offices, Mr Ahern said he didn't even know that that had happened.
"As you know, the reason we are here talking in this hotel is because I cannot facilitate you in Leinster House. Many times in the last 2 1/2 years, I have had to come outside the gates of Leinster House in the rain to talk to you. We certainly in government will deal with that," Mr Ahern stated.
Ms Harney added that there were strict rules which applied to the media in Leinster House and they had to be applied to everyone on the same basis.
