British and Irish governments discuss dissident republican threat

Secretary of State Paul Murphy has met Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell in Dublin today to discuss the threat posed by dissident Republican groups.

After the meeting, Mr Murphy said: "There remain those who have set their face against peace and are prepared to defy the will of the people of Ireland, north and south, through death and destruction. We will do all in our power to thwart them.

"We want to see the already close, operational co-operation between the police services further developed.

"We will also be looking at our legislative framework to ensure that the powers that are necessary to deal effectively with the threat from dissidents are in place.

"And where there is an international dimension, whether in terms of fund raising or any other area of terrorist-related activity, we want to ensure that too is covered.

He added: "Those who are violently opposed to the political process should be under no illusion: they will face the combined resolve of both governments and all those who want to see permanent peace and stability"

Mr Murphy was speaking after the latest round of talks designed to bring the political institutions back on line. The talks are aimed at resolving all the outstanding issues in the Good Friday Agreement, with March 3 reported to be the provisional deadline for a resolution.

(GMcG)