The Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment last night hardened her support for the continuation of the Government, saying she had confidence in her Cabinet colleagues and wished to put the tensions of last week behind her.
Interviewed in Tokyo during a 10-day industrial promotional trip to Japan, New Zealand and Australia, Ms Harney appeared relaxed about the future of the Coalition and cited the critical state of the Northern Ireland peace process as one of the most important reasons for bringing the Government back to business as usual.
She told The Irish Times she did not think the latest allegations in Sunday's newspapers concerning money donated to Fianna Fail members created a new issue of confidence in the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and said that memory recall was a problem everyone had concerning events which happened years previously.
"It hasn't certainly arrived at a situation where I don't have confidence in any of my colleagues around the Cabinet table."
Ms Harney commented last week, when the Taoiseach spoke in the Dail about conflicting accounts of payments of money to Fianna Fail members, that loyalty and support between former Fianna Fail cabinet colleagues should not come before truth and honesty, and that she would walk from government if the truth was not told and it was not honest.
She was known to be particularly unhappy with the failure of Mr Ahern to keep her fully informed on the Padraig Flynn affair.
Asked if the Government would survive, she said: "Well, I certainly hope that we can put all these matters behind us, but clear ly it's a matter for the tribunal to investigate these allegations that have been made and they are serious ones. But I will work hard to ensure that we can put the tensions of last week behind us.
"The Government is working well and there are good relationships within it. It is a good time for the economy. It's also a critical time in relation to the Northern Ireland peace process. With the deadline dates emerging, it is important that we put together the final pieces, that we complete the final chapter of the Good Friday agreement.
"The next few weeks are going to be crucially important in that regard, and I think that all our attention should go towards these issues and I hope that these distractions can be set aside."
The concerns the Progressive Democrats had expressed last week were in relation to how information was emerging, the Tanaiste said.
Asked if Mr Ahern had clarified matters to her satisfaction in their conversation on Friday, she said he had phoned her when she was in Britain. "We spoke on the telephone in excess of 30 minutes, maybe closer to an hour, and he clarified the situation in relation to meetings which he hadn't recalled in the Dail.
"I believe the Taoiseach handled the matter in the Dail very fully last week in relation to the issues for which he is accountable to the Dail, issues in relation to his role as Taoiseach or minister or that of his colleagues." She described the allegations by Mr Tom Gilmartin as very serious. "They are rightly in the domain of the tribunal," she said, "and should be investigated as quickly as possible."
She did not think what Mr Ahern told her on Friday changed the substance of what he said to the Dail.
"In relation to some issues there was uncertainty, because clearly memory recall is not precise for us all, and people are trying to recall events of 10 or so years ago. He clarified the matter and obviously told me the situation as he understands it."