Governor of the Central Bank Patrick Honohan has said he would like to see a lower interest rate charged on the EU / IMF bailout loan and there could be movement on it over the coming months and years.
Mr Honohan also said that he would like to see a lower interest rate charged on the EU / IMF bailout loan and there could be movement on it over the coming months and years.
Speaking on RTE's Prime Time programme, Mr Honohan said he thought the interest rate was high and not a concessional rate, although it was cheaper than market rates.
He said negotiations on terms would be with us for a decade or more and would require very careful navigation, ingenuity and skill on what was a shared interest.
On some calls for a default by Ireland on its debt, Mr Honohan said this was not an attractive option for any part of Irish society.
On the outgoing government's decision to defer the €10bn injection into the banks, Mr Honohan said there was initial alarm and disappointment that an important deadline would be missed. But he added that the deferral would eventually be seen as allowing the deal to go through with more legitimacy.
He refused to be drawn on how much more money the banks may need beyond the €10bn to be transferred from the National Pensions Reserve Fund.
He said he did not place any credence on a recent suggestion by Anglo chairman Alan Dukes that a further 15 billion may be needed.
