The Green Party needed to resolve the latest issues raised about the Taoiseach by the Mahon tribunal before going into government with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said at Leinster House yesterday.
Insisting that a Fine Gael-led administration was still possible, Mr Kenny refused to concede defeat in the election and highlighted possible difficulties for the Greens and the Progressive Democrats over Mr Ahern's finances.
The Opposition leader was speaking to journalists outside the Dáil as he greeted the enlarged Fine Gael parliamentary party that now includes 51 TDs.
Asked for his "direct message" to the Greens as they continued their discussions with Fianna Fáil, Mr Kenny replied: "I would say to the Green Party that in the course of their discussions with Fianna Fáil, which they are quite entitled to have, they do need to resolve the matter of instability which was raised by both themselves and the PDs during the course of the election campaign, which was responded to by Mr Ahern in a statement which every party including myself accepted at face value and which has been contradicted flatly by the Mahon tribunal evidence of May 28th."
Mr Kenny said: "Any party now going into government with Mr Ahern is a party to instability. I would remind you that the big issue that was raised about stability during the course of the campaign arose from the fact that two parties sought clarifying statements from Mr Ahern.
"That statement was accepted at face value but the Mahon tribunal statement on May 28th contradicts the evidence in that statement. It's a matter for the parties that want to support Mr Ahern in government to resolve that or face instability."
Asked if he was conceding defeat in the election, almost two weeks after polling day, he replied: "It is quite possible to form an alternative government that will not have any baggage associated with it, that will be able to face the issues that face the country, like our health crisis, the crisis of drugs, like the issue of crime, the issue of law and order and all the other issues that were referred to during the course of the election campaign."
Highlighting the gains made by his party, he said: "In the election itself 564,000 people voted for Fine Gael, which is the highest vote the party achieved since 1982. Not only did we successfully defend 31 seats but we gained 20 new seats."
Fine Gael was "the only party to gain seats in this election". He said his frontbench team would be appointed "in due course". Party sources suggested afterwards this would take place in mid-July.
The first meeting of the new parliamentary party took place at Leinster House in the afternoon. A spokesman said afterwards that "they discussed the options that remain for forming a government on June 14th" as well as plans for a "continuation of even stronger opposition".
