This WeekThey Said

I hope Mr Gilmartin gets the same grilling on these things as I am, but anyway that's neither here nor there

I hope Mr Gilmartin gets the same grilling on these things as I am, but anyway that's neither here nor there. - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the Mahon tribunal, which initiated an inquiry into his finances because of an allegation by developer Tom Gilmartin that another developer, Owen O'Callaghan, had given money to Mr Ahern.

The clergy boycotts the violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless kings, the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury.

- Burmese monks, who have staged protests against the military junta ruling the country.

[We will retaliate] against Musharraf and those who help him, and for all the pure and innocent blood.

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- Osama bin Laden urging supporters to take action against the president of Pakistan.

Unfortunately, there are too many mosques in this country.

- Peter King, an adviser to Rudolph Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican Party nomination to run for US president.

You can always tell when the Republicans are getting restless, because the vice-president's motorcade pulls into the Capitol and Darth Vader emerges.

- Hillary Clinton on recent visits by US vice-president Dick Cheney to Capitol Hill.

President Mugabe is the only African leader to face an EU travel ban. There is a reason for this - the abuse of his own people.

- British prime minister Gordon Brown saying he will boycott an EU-Africa summit if Zimbabwe's leader, Robert Mugabe, attends.

I want to live indefinitely.

- Tomoji Tanabe, from Japan, the world's oldest man, who celebrated his 112th birthday this week.

It is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.

- Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve.

We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war.

- France's foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, on the possibility of a conflict with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Go to hell!

- The cover headline of the New York Daily Newsafter Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requested an official tour of Ground Zero.

Many marriages last just because people believe they are safe. My suggestion is that marriages should expire after seven years.

- German politician Gabriele Pauli suggesting that marriages should have an expiration date, after which couples could, if they wish, renew their vows.

For nine of the last 10 we have had surpluses. For 15 years we have been growing at an average of 7 per cent. Next year it might be 4 per cent and some people are saying that the economy is ruined. Anyone who says that are not economists. Anyone who says that knows nothing about nothing.

- Taoiseach Bertie Ahern amid predictions that the economy is set for a serious slowdown.

We are a bigger team than that and we won't allow something as stupid and unfounded as that to disrupt us.

- Irish rugby captain Brian O'Driscoll dismissing rumours of turmoil in the camp ahead of last night's game against France.

At one stage I said that the question being posed in Ireland was whether the new prosperity had made Irish society a rougher, less caring one.

- Christian Pauls, German ambassador to Ireland, denying that he told a group of German business people that wealth had made the Irish "coarse".

Kate and Gerry are happy to do anything that will help clear their names.

- A friend of Kate and Gerry McCann saying that they were prepared to take a lie detector test to show they had nothing to hide over the disappearance of their daughter, Madeleine.