Taoiseach would 'have no difficulty' meeting Zappone in New York after Oireachtas Committee rejection

Katherine Zappone has rejected an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee. File picture: RollingNews.ie

The Taoiseach says he would "have no difficulty" meeting Katherine Zappone in New York after she rejected an invitation to appear before an Oireachtas committee.

Ms Zappone had been invited by the committee last week to discuss her controversial appointment by her former cabinet colleague Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney as UN special envoy. Ms Zappone had first accepted and then refused the UN envoy role, which had not been publicly advertised.

Sources within the committee confirmed on Monday that Ms Zappone had declined an invitation to attend to discuss the matter of how she came to be appointed as special envoy.

The letter, from Ms Zappone, seen by the Irish Examiner states: "I acknowledge receipt of the invitation to meet with the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. I respectfully decline."

Micheál Martin said that there had been "enough debate" on the issue and said that it was time to move on. 

He said that while he was not aware that Ms Zappone had been invited to any UN events in New York this week, he would have no difficulty meeting her.

"Katherine Zappone is a private citizen,” he said on Monday.

“I think we have to keep this in perspective as I've been saying consistently this was a part-time position as an envoy, which hasn't gone ahead. We've had two sessions with the Oireachtas committee, and Minister Coveney went before it. And we've had a very comprehensive debate last week with a decisive outcome.

Simon Coveney with Ms Zappone. File picture: Gareth Chaney Collins

Mr Martin said that after the "decisive outcome to the debate" that it is "time really to focus on the issues and substance, and I've said this consistently that is my genuine view of these things."

The committee agreed last Wednesday to write to Ms Zappone, who lives in the United States, and invite her to appear before it.

The decision to invite Ms Zappone was taken at a meeting in private session after it was proposed by Sinn Féin spokesperson on foreign affairs John Brady.

The committee has also invited Martin Fraser, the secretary-general of the Department of the Taoiseach and the State’s highest-ranking civil servant, to explain when Ms Zappone’s name was communicated to the Department of the Taoiseach.

Mr Martin has denied that he knew about the Katherine Zappone appointment before it was raised at Cabinet.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar claimed that the memo had been with the Taoiseach's office the day before the controversy broke, which has been rejected by Micheál Martin's office.

The Zappone controversy has plagued Fine Gael for nine weeks, with a no-confidence motion in Mr Coveney on Wednesday, which the Minister comfortably survived, despite Marc MacSharry's controversial departure.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen, who sits on the committee, said he is disappointed that Ms Zappone has rejected the invitation.

"It's a pity when you think of her as a former Oireachtas member she'd appreciate the value of the committee system, and its use in clarifying outstanding matters," he said.

"Now we have established contact, perhaps she could clarify some matters in writing, even if she did not want to appear."