The forthcoming talks on a new national pay agreement will not be easy but must aim to address crucial employment issues, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.
Mr Ahern said he did not accept that recent pay awards to senior politicians had affected the mood on the new pay talks.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
"I don't think there's any souring whatever in the pay talks. People involved in the pay talks understand pay reviews and they understand the issues," he said in a wide-ranging interview on RTÉ radio.
"There are very important issues that have to be dealt with..nothing to do with that [benchmarking] review.
"And we have to deal with those issues of maintaining and sustaining employment, dealing with abuses of immigration issues, dealing with good legislation to make sure that the labour market here functions well. That we can keep the enterprise spirit in the economy. These are all the crucial issues that we have to deal with and protection of the minimum wage."
Mr Ahern added: "It won't be easy. The last time was prolonged, it was arduous but it's something that I will be taking a personal involvement in. And along with managing the economy in 2008, these are crucial issues for us to keep the economy on track."
On the question of the planned referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on EU reform, Mr Ahern said he hoped all political parties would take a "strong position" that Ireland should pass the treaty.
"We will have other domestic rows in 2008, probably many of them as we do every year. But the Reform Treaty is important for the image of this country, it's important for the international standing of this country. It's important for the functioning of Europe. It's important for functioning of Europe in the wider world and the people in this country have the opportunity to give a positive signal of the advancement of Europe and the role it plays in the wider world," he said.
"It's a big international statement that we can make in Ireland. Other countries, for one reason and another, haven't gone the same road as we have. We have a constitution that stipulates that we go before the people."
Asked whether he believed he would be damaged politically and personally if the treaty was rejected, Mr Ahern said: "Bertie Ahern's name isn't part of the constitutional treaty - other than that I negotiated it. It's not part of the Reform Treaty, other than that I signed it on behalf of Ireland.
"This is about Ireland, it's about the image of Ireland, it's about the status of Ireland, it's about the role of Europe for the next 20 or 30 years and people in this country, if we want to continue to be a strong country, a coherent country having a strong voice not only in Europe but in the wider world, it is fundamentally important...to support this agreemeent."
Asked whether he would consider running for the presidency in 2011, Mr Ahern did not rule himself out but said he would take "one year at a time".
"I have a tough job to do in 2008. I want to steer the Irish economy through what is a difficult international patch. I want to see employment in this country be sustained as best we possibly can," he said.
Mr Ahern said he had clearly said he wanted to get out of active parliamentary politics when he turned 60, which will be in September 2011, and he would stick to that.
"I have to get through 2008 first...I was always taught to take one year at a time and in this game that's a fair feat. I intend to stay in active parliamentary politics until I'm 60 and we'll see what I do after that."
Mr Ahern also reiterated his view that Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen should be his successor as Fianna Fail leader.
"I have given my view on that an I think, as [Eamon] De Valera had a view with [Seán] Lemass, as Lemass had a view with [Jack] Lynch and Lynch had a view with [George] Colley...I have a view and my view is Brian Cowen."