The former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, will soon begin a series of meetings with Fianna Fail parliamentary colleagues in his attempt to secure the party's nomination to contest the presidential election.
Fianna Fail TDs and Senators will this morning receive a letter from Mr Reynolds seeking their support. He writes that he looks forward to speaking to them personally in the coming weeks.
Mr Reynolds's letter - while making no reference to the possible candidacy of the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume - indicates his determination not to allow his campaign to lose momentum amid uncertainty over Mr Hume's intentions.
Should Mr Hume announce interest in the Presidency, however, there is a significant body of opinion among Fianna Fail deputies and Senators that the party should not oppose him.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Andrews, yesterday said that Mr Hume should be supported by all parties, including Fianna Fail, if he chose to run. Other party sources said that Mr Andrews's view was shared by a number of members of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party.
Mr Hume is expected to announce his decision by the end of this month.
Mr Reynolds's letter confirms that he is seeking his party's nomination, making him the first declared Fianna Fail candidate for the presidential election, which will be held on October 30th.
His letter states: "I wish to confirm that I am seeking the party nomination to contest the forthcoming presidential election.
"I am greatly encouraged by the level of support from my parliamentary colleagues and the general public and also by my consistent lead rating in all three recent independently-conducted polls. It is gratifying for all of us to know that the total support for Fianna Fail candidates in these polls is at a steady 43-44 per cent.
"It would be a great honour for me to be the party's standard-bearer in this election and ultimately to apply my accumulated experience to the office of President of Ireland. I would appreciate your support in this and look forward to speaking to you personally in the coming weeks."
Mr Reynolds is on holiday this week and is expected to consult his colleagues when he returns.
Unionists have reacted angrily to comments made by Mr Reynolds suggesting that it would be impossible for Fianna Fail to ask the IRA to hand over weapons because of the party's history.
Mr Reynolds said yesterday that his comments had been reported out of context in the Irish News, because it had not been made clear that he was giving an account of a conversation with Mr John Major. He said he firmly supported the Mitchell Principles on decommissioning.