The Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Cowen has moved to distance the Government from the contents of a confidential document on the peace process disclosed at yesterday's intergovernmental conference in Farmleigh.
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Mr Cowen: "greatly regrets"
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In a statement this morning Mr Cowen said he "greatly regrets" the potential the disclosure has for complicating the "already difficult situation in the North".
Later Mr Cowen moved to further distance the Government from the document, saying that the source of the views was not from within his Department.
He said that unless the papers were endorsed by himself or any other Government colleagues they were without status and did not reflect policy.
Countless briefing documents were received every day from various sources offering opinions and advice, he explained in an interview on RTÉ radio.
"What is Government policy is that which is articulated by me and my colleagues in Government," Mr Cowen said.
He added that the Government did not hold the view that the UUP was "internally dysfunctional", nor did it believe the IRA was still recruiting.
Officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs were embarrassed at yesterday's disclosure of the sensitive document to the media at a press conference following yesterday's meeting at Farmleigh in Dublin, which was attended by Northern Secretary Mr Paul Murphy, and Mr Cowen.
The document seen by the press apparently questions whether the UUP leadership would ever respond positively to any substantial gesture by the IRA designed to break the deadlock.
The document also confirms an analysis held by many talks participants and observers that the UUP may be so fixated on the impending contest with the DUP for supremacy within the unionist community that it is not willing to strike a deal.
It is understood the document was accidentally left in an area used by journalists at Farmleigh. It is understood that UTV have a copy of the document.
The document also says that the IRA is still active but is recruiting and gathering intelligence, it says, for defensive purposes only. It also reaffirms the Government's belief that the republican movement's leadership is fully committed to the peace process.
The Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny said the disclosure of the document "will do nothing to restore confidence between the parties at this critical juncture."
"The assertion that the IRA is still recruiting and training new members is disturbing, as it comes at a time when they and other paramilitary organisations should be moving towards disbandment.
"Sinn Féin must use its influence to persuade the IRA that the use of violence has no place in the future of Northern Ireland."