The former head of the Irish bailout programme at the International Monetary Fund, Ajai Chopra, has described the debt situation of Ireland as fragile.
Speaking at the annual spring meeting of the IMF in Washington, Mr Chopra acknowledged that many Irish people were unhappy with the payments to bank bondholders.
He said he hoped European authorities would do more to help Ireland and also called for them to be able to take stakes directly in banks, alleviating some of the pressure on the State.
In front of an audience of international bankers and bureaucrats, Mr Chopra acknowledged how tough Ireland's bailout programme is.
He said signs were positive as well as negative with the sustainability of public debt described as fragile.
