The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs has indicated that she will not back down on her threat to resign over the Budget allocation for overseas aid.Ms Liz O'Donnell was pressed repeatedly by Opposition deputies over her remarks on RTE radio's lunchtime news that she would not rule out resignation if the percentage increase in aid did not increase in line with commitments in the programme for government.Ms O'Donnell said: "In relation to my comments today I felt that I made my position on this matter very clear."I'm not satisfied that the level of increase which has been agreed in the estimates for Cabinet are satisfactory in terms of our overall commitment to the poor of the Third World and in terms of our European and international commitments to reach targets.""It is a moral issue and it is a litmus test of our commitment to the vindication of human rights in the Third World," she added.She told Fine Gael's Foreign Affairs spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell: "I have said that there is a window of opportunity between now and the Budget for the Cabinet to reconsider their position on this matter."I hope that they will review the situation."Labour's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Dick Spring, said there was a Budget surplus of £1 billion. "I think it is a litmus test of the conviction of this Government."He said of Ms O'Donnell: "I really hope she will pursue what she said on the news today, to convince her Government colleagues" that the State should maintain its international commitments.Ms O'Donnell said extraordinary economic growth meant that despite a further £15 million increase in aid in 1998 to £137 million, the donation was more likely to be around 0.29 per cent of GNP than the targeted 0.32 per cent."I have stated in plain language that our present level of aid is unsatisfactory in a number of respects," she said.She had made her own position "crystal clear" regarding the place of development aid among spending priorities."I believe the proportion of public expenditure going on development aid, currently about 1 per cent, should be increased further."She said it was the right thing to do. Aid should be increased because Ireland had benefited from the generosity of others, including the EU, and "because we can afford to do so".Mr Proinsias De Rossa, the Democratic Left leader, said the Government would deliver a bad signal on the international front "if we joined the rest of the countries across the world who are sliding in terms of their contributions".The Minister said: "I run my budget in cash terms. There has been steady growth of 10 per cent on the previous year."I am not happy that there is slippage on the UN target and the target we have set for ourselves in the programme for government."I have made my position clear and I can't say any more."