The Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said Ireland was not currently looking for a rescheduling of Ireland's EU-IMF loan.
Arriving at a two day meeting of eurozone and EU finance ministers in Brussels, Mr Noonan said the Government was concentrating on securing a lower interest rate for Ireland, although he did not expect any significant developments on the issues over the next two days.
He said he expected the Portuguese bailout to be formally agreed at the meeting and acknowledged that Portugal could be given a lower interest rate than that paid by Ireland. But he said the Government would continue to make the case for a lower rate.
When asked why the French government had taken an apparently tougher line on Ireland's corporate tax rate, Mr Noonan said that the EU was a community of 27 countries. 'Everyone has a position. It's the European way of doing business.'
Mr Noonan said he would make the Government's position known at the meeting on the candidacy of Italy's Mario Draghi to succeed Jean-Claude Trichet as head of the ECB.
When asked if he supported Mr Draghi, currently the head of the Italian Central Bank, Mr Noonan said,'he is the only candidate so far.'
