Cowen rules out deal with UUP on Patten proposals

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, has rejected any move to link concessions to Ulster Unionists on the Patten report to their support for re-entering devolved government.

On his return from Belfast where he met the newly appointed independent observers on decommissioning yesterday, Mr Cowen indicated that the recommendations of the Patten Report would not be negotiated.

While he hoped that the Ulster Unionist Council would "grasp the historic opportunity which presents itself" at its meeting to debate the resumption of the Northern assembly, it was, he said, "an internal matter" for the UUC.

"The Irish Government's position is clear, that the implementation of Patten is essential. What both communities are in agreement with is that we want every police man or woman to walk down any street or housing estate or road in Northern Ireland and be welcome, to be recognised and have the full co-operation of everybody. It is on that basis that we are proceeding with the need for reforms to the policing system."

Asked if he saw the RUC, as currently constituted, as a hazard to cross-community support, Mr Cowen said: "I think the Patten report makes it clear that we need a new beginning and clearly there will be people who were formerly RUC officers in the new police force in Northern Ireland."

The Minister said the Government was "hopeful" that the outcome of the UUC meeting would be positive. But he added: "That is a matter for themselves.

"The Ulster Unionist party obviously have their own internal procedures and we await the outcome of that."

He reiterated that his visit was to meet the independent observers on the arms issue: "That is the business that I am at."

Mr Cowen had flown back from Belfast at lunchtime yesterday to address a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the 41-member body set up to encourage European co-operation.

Referring to the possibility of that body overcoming difficulties in Chechnya, Mr Cowen said that even the most seemingly intractable difficulties could be overcome, as had been shown by the agreement in Northern Ireland.

"On the basis of this development we now have the real prospect of being at last able to move forward together, by consensus and on a clear, forward-looking basis."