SF meeting:Sinn Féin has said it would not be willing to support a minority government from the opposition benches.
Speaking following a meeting of the party's four TDs in Leinster House yesterday, Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin outlined the party's priorities for potential coalition, including scrapping the hospital co-location proposals.
He also rejected suggestions that Sinn Féin had no role to play in the formation of government as neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael will consider them as a coalition partner.
"Do you believe those who have made the utterances prior to this general election, 'never with Sinn Féin'?" he asked. "Never is a long day in politics. We are here to do our business at the gates of Leinster House. If people want to talk to us, we are available to talk to anyone who wants to enter discussions on the points I have already made."
Mr Ó Caoláin confirmed that no other party had been in contact with it to date, but said that this should not be ruled out.
"We have no doubt that before this whole process is concluded there may well be some contact," he said.
Asked by journalists whether the party was prepared to support either Enda Kenny or Bertie Ahern for the position of Taoiseach when the Dáil resumes next month, the Sinn Féin TD said it was "a decision we have yet to take". "We are making no such judgment at this point in time. These are early days."
When asked about whether his party would support a minority government from the back benches he said: "Absolutely not. We would not be interested in supporting a minority government from the opposition benches." He said the party was open to talk to "either block" but that his party's support would be dependant on meeting Sinn Féin priorities.
These include the construction of 70,000 social housing units, reductions in class sizes, universal free pre-school education, and a Green Paper on Irish unity.
Speaking about Sinn Féin's poor performance in the general election, where the party lost one of its five TDs and failed to secure any of its target seats, Mr Ó Caoláin said the party was "disappointed we did not make the gains which we had hoped for" but that overall support for Sinn Féin had increased.