Charlie O'Connor
Question:249 Mr. O’Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding his dealings with the Northern Ireland Secretary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36990/05]
View answerTuesday, 29 November 2005
Questions (260)
Written answers
I met the Secretary of State, Mr. Peter Hain, in Dublin on 19 October when we jointly chaired a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. At that meeting, the Secretary of State and I underlined our determination to work with the political parties to continue to restore trust and confidence and to rebuild political momentum in the peace process. In that context, we indicated we would make ourselves jointly available for a series of stocktaking meetings with the political parties. As part of this exercise, I met the Secretary of State on 14 November at Hillsborough where we had a series of meetings with Sinn Féin, the PUP and the UKUP. We met again at Hillsborough on 24 November for a second round of meetings with the SDLP, the UUP and the Alliance Party. These meetings complemented the bilateral meetings which both Governments have had with political parties in recent weeks, including the Government's meeting with the DUP in Dublin on 18 November.
My meetings with the Secretary of State on 14 and 24 November were a useful opportunity for a comprehensive exchange of views on current issues in the peace process and on how we could best make progress in the coming months. Our discussions with the parties were constructive and covered a broad range of issues including the prospects for restoration of devolved institutions. Our primary purpose was to listen to the views of the parties and to take stock of the issues which need to be addressed in order to advance the process in the period ahead. Both the Secretary of State and I confirmed our determination to build confidence, to maintain political momentum and to make progress on behalf of all communities in Northern Ireland. We were very much encouraged that all of the parties indicated to us that they too wished to see confidence in politics restored so that those elected to represent their communities could deliver for them.
In addition to discussions on the political way forward at our meeting in Hillsborough on 24 November, the Secretary of State and I also discussed the importance of the two Governments working together to foster economic growth in the north west region. We agreed that we would take forward this work by asking relevant sectoral Ministers, North and South, to meet and explore ways in which we can cooperate more closely to maximise the potential of the north west.
In light of our recent meetings with the parties, I expect to have a further meeting with the Secretary of State in December to consider the best way of taking work forward in the new year. The next meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference is scheduled to take place in early 2006. Both Governments will also continue to maintain ongoing contact with the political parties.