22/11/2002

British Irish Council meets for the fourth time

The fourth meeting of the British Irish Council (BIC) took place in Scotland on Friday.

Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell hosted the summit, which took place at the New Lanark World Heritage Site in south Lanarkshire.

Social exclusion was top of the agenda among the attending delegates and is a key theme on which Scotland, jointly with Wales, takes the lead role within the council.

The BIC was established under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Secretary of State Paul Murphy represented Northern Ireland at today's summit.

The summit is a forum for members to exchange information, discuss, consult and reach agreement on matters of mutual interest.

(MB)

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