EU, Ireland in bailout talks

Dublin – The Republic of Ireland is in preliminary talks with EU officials for financial support, the BBC has learned.
It is now no longer a matter of whether but when the Irish government formally approaches the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) for a bailout, correspondents say.
The provisional estimate for EFSF loans is believed to lie between 60 billion and 80 billion euros ($82-110bn; £51-68bn). Dublin says there are no talks on an application for emergency EU funding.
A spokesman for Ireland’s department of finance said the country was funded until the middle of 2011, the public-service RTE broadcaster reported. (BBC)