Governments stress NI arrangements temporary

The Irish and British governments both issued firm assurances today about the temporary nature of arrangements in operation during the current suspension of the elected Northern Ireland Assembly.

The pledges were made after a ministerial meeting involving the two governments in Dublin ahead of round table talks scheduled with pro-Good Friday agreement parties for Belfast tomorrow in a bid to kick-start the Ulster peace process.

The move followed expression of unease from members of the Ulster Unionist Party of former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble about the power of the north-south administrative mechanisms in place during the assembly’s absence, and the prospect of them acting independently of politicians.

After the Dublin exchanges the governments circulated what they called “a statement of clarification in response to certain concerns” about the agreement between them.

The statement stressed: “This agreement will terminate following the restoration of the assembly.

Related Irish legislation will cease to operate on the earliest practicable day after the termination of the agreement.

“These temporary and remedial arrangements between our two governments are made in the expectation of an early resumption of devolution in Northern Ireland.

“These structures and arrangements will not be retained in the absence of the meaningful functioning of other institutions provided for under the agreement of Good Friday, 1998.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy – involved in the Inter-governmental Conference Dublin meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen, Justice Minister Michael McDowell and the North's security minister Jane Kennedy – emphasised the “care and maintenance” nature of the present arrangements between the governments, and looked forward to the restorations of the assembly and the institutions “as soon as possible.”

Mr Murphy said he believed and hoped the statement would boost the chances of progress at the round-table talks.

Mr Cowen added of the administrative set up: “These are temporary, sensible, care and management arrangements.”

The four-minister session also reviewed the present state of political progress generally in Northern Ireland, and a joint communique welcomed what it described as “the sense of urgency and engagement” being displayed by discussions between the parties in Northern Ireland.

The meeting considered, as well, the policing issue in Northern Ireland and criminal justice issues.

And on security, the conference focused on measures being taken to deal with paramilitary activities, sectarian violence and the combating of organised crime.

It was agreed that a review should be carried out of the workings of the British-Irish agreement and the institutions established under it.