Leaked Stakeknife reports tried to wreck peace process, says Cowen
The minister expressed his concerns about the affair at a British-Irish inter-governmental conference dominated by the issue of British security services collusion with paramilitaries.
“Those responsible for putting those reports into the public domain have at very least acted with great irresponsibility,” he said.
Also yesterday, US President George W Bush’s special adviser on Northern Ireland said all sides in the peace process must prevent a political vacuum developing over the coming months.
US Special Envoy Richard Haass said the problems in the peace process are not a crisis and people should not lose sight of the tremendous progress made to date.
But Mr Cowen declined to point the finger of blame for the Stakeknife reports at the security forces and intelligence community in Northern Ireland.
“I’m not in the business of following all of that which is out there. My job is to express the Irish Government’s concern to the British Government about the impact this is having on the political process and the destabilisation nature of it, the context and timing of it,” he said.
The minister and Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Murphy, who participated in the talks, indicated that they had come through from difficult and disappointing days, but it was a testimony to the strength of their relationship that the process was as strong and robust as ever.
Mr Cowen also said he was very glad that the Northern Ireland Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, was working with the Northern Ireland Police Board to take up the recommendations of the recent Stevens Report.
The Government would also await the outcome of the commission, headed by Canadian Judge Peter Corry, investigating six killings in Northern Ireland and alleged collusion with paramilitaries.
“We would like to see both governments to be in a position that these issues will be dealt with in an appropriate way,” he said.
The conference came in advance of a meeting in Dublin today between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Mr Haass. Mr Haass has said the Northern Ireland elections should be held as soon as possible.
