RTE'S right to broadcast Britain's top television soap opera to viewers in Northern Ireland became a major bone of contention during the Belfast Agreement talks, minutes of an Anglo-Irish ministerial meeting released under the Freedom of Information Act show, according to a report in this morning's Guardian newspaper.
This sideshow to the agreement was the subject of a crucial meeting between Ms Sheila de Valera, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, and her British counterpart, Mr Chris Smith, the Culture Secretary.
The dispute broke out when RTE decided to build a transmitter which would beam Coronation Street into 70 per cent of homes in Northern Ireland compared with its usual 30 per cent - threatening the dominance of UTV. Furious UTV executives protested to Dublin.
Briefing notes for the ministerial meeting suggest that the UTV executives were prepared to accept a provision in the Republic's Broadcasting Bill giving Northern Ireland broadcasters new digital wavebands in the Republic.
Irish civil servants briefed Ms de Valera to the effect that the only solution might be to get a joint "exchange of letters" with Mr Smith to bring back "a climate of confidence in the British broadcasters and officials".
Minutes of the meeting revealed that Mr Smith was happy to sort out the soap war - and was concerned for its implications on the main negotiations: "The Secretary of State agreed we were `nearly there' and that this matter was quite relevant to the Good Friday agreement. He was happy to ensure that all necessary steps are taken - RTE services will soon be available to some 70 per cent . . . of the North."