Independent TD Finian McGrath said last night he is consulting with his constituency organisation about whether he should reveal details of commitments he received from the Taoiseach in relation to the use of Shannon by the US military.
On Sunday, Mr McGrath said he would give full details of the Shannon commitments in the Dáil when it resumes next Tuesday, June 26th.
However, when contacted by The Irish Times yesterday Mr McGrath said he had no comment to make other than he is "discussing the situation" with his constituency organisation and would be making a decision by this Thursday or Friday.
He refused to comment on reports that he has been told by the Taoiseach's office that it would not be a good idea to reveal details of any of the commitments he received for supporting a new government.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach said last night that agreements with Independent TDs are "political agreements" and as such are "confidential".
In an interview with Marian Finucane on RTÉ radio last Sunday, Mr McGrath said he would be dealing with commitments he received on Shannon when the Dáil resumes on Tuesday next. He said he had received "serious compromises" and had agreed a "very strong foreign policy" with Mr Ahern.
When asked last night what changes there will be to Ireland's position on the use of Shannon arising from any deal with Mr McGrath, a spokesman for the Minister for Foreign Affairs said: "I'm not in a position to make any comment at the present time."
Mr McGrath has given mixed signals about his attitude to the future use of Shannon. Days after the general election he said it "was not one of my holy grails" in relation to doing a deal to support a new government. Later he said his support would require a change in the Shannon situation.
Before the election Mr McGrath signed a letter organised by the Peace and Neutrality Alliance and Irish Anti-War Movement demanding the withdrawal of permission for the US military to fly through Shannon.
In the letter, the signatories gave a "firm commitment" if elected not to participate in any government that allows Shannon airport or other Irish facilities to be used by the US to conduct war in Iraq "or in any other imperialist war".
On the day he agreed his deal with Mr Ahern, Mr McGrath said he had received some compromise on Shannon along the lines of the agreement the Green party secured.
That agreement states that Iraq-bound US military flights will continue to use Shannon airport, but Dáil approval will be required before any non-UN-mandated military flight will be allowed to land.
However, this will not interfere with the Americans' current use of the airport, since they now operate on a UN mandate.