McDowell sticks to his guns in SF row

MICHAEL MCDOWELL stuck to his guns in a robust face-to-face confrontation with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness over his alleged "criminalising of Sinn Féin".

At a meeting between the Government and Sinn Féin leadership, Mr McDowell was backed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen as he stood by his comments on IRA activities and its links to the party.

Rejecting Sinn Féin's complaints that the Government was picking on them, the justice minister said his stance on the IRA and the Republican movement reflected intelligence gathered by the Garda Síochána.