Martin: Debt-restructuring agreement possible by end of March

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said he expects there will be "broad agreement" between Ireland and the EU by the end of March on restructuring Ireland's debt, including the possibility of a lower interest rate on Ireland's borrowings.

However, he said the interest rate on the European portion of the IMF/EU rescue package could not be reduced without the consensus of other EU states, and accused his political rivals of deliberately misleading the people about re-negotiating the deal.