Cowen concerned at resignation of human rights official

Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen has expressed his concern at the resignation of Patrick Yu, the head of the North's Human Rights Commission.

Mr Yu's decision followed the resignation of three other commission members earlier this year.

Mr Yu said he decided to step down because the Human Rights Commission had undermined the Good Friday Agreement and existing human rights and equality protections.

However, Mr Cowen said his resignation would itself undermine community confidence in the North and impact directly on the equality-related aspects of the agreement.