The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, is likely to step down from Cabinet within 15 months if the Government is still in office at that stage, reports Mark Brennock, Political Correspondent, quoting reliable sources.
Mr Andrews, who said in May that he would retire from public life when the present Dail was dissolved, said yesterday the question of his retirement from Cabinet "does not arise at present". Reliable sources said last night that Mr Andrews might continue in office until autumn of next year, although he could choose a considerably earlier date.
In a statement last night, Mr Andrews said he was in the process of implementing several policy initiatives in the Department of Foreign Affairs including "the Good Friday agreement, Partnership for Peace and the campaign to secure a seat for Ireland on the United Nations Security Council. The vote on the latter will take place in October 2000."