Political leaders and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church last night joined in condemning the killing of two friends of different religions in the Railway Bar in Poyntzpass, Co Armagh.
The Tanaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney, said the 'evil deed' would 'merely strengthen the Government's determination to find a lasting political settlement in Northern Ireland'.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, said he was 'outraged by the calculated brutality of the double murder'.
'My heart goes out to the families of another two innocent victims and to all who live under the shadow of such violent hatred.'
He said the killings were 'a direct assault on the efforts of the governments and the talks participants to deliver a permanent peace by political means. Those who commit such appalling acts are the enemies of the overwhelming majority of people who yearn for peace and believe in democracy.
'There is an obligation on political leaders to ensure that those who are desperate to obstruct political progress, and are prepared to resort to cold-blooded murder, are not allowed to have their way,' Mr Andrews said.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, condemned what he described as a 'grotesque and mindless act of murder'.
'I condemn those cowardly and unrepresentative people who seek victory through the destruction of peace and the annihilation of the other side. They must never win.'
The Presbyterian Moderator, Dr Sam Hutchinson, conveyed the sympathy of the Presbyterian church to the families and friends of the men who died.
'It is tragic that two close friends, members of different churches, should die together in this way. This reckless act is a calamity for their relatives and the entire community. This symbolic attack on both communities is to be utterly condemned,' said Dr Hutchinson.
'Those operating this totally misguided policy of taking human life for political purposes are considering only their own depraved objectives and must not be allowed to deflect those seeking a fair and reasonable accommodation in the interests of the overwhelming majority of people.'
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, condemned the attack. He said the entire community must refuse to bow to such killings.
Mr David Ervine, a chief spokesman for the loyalist Progressive Unionist Party, believed some disparate loyalist group was responsible for the killings. 'This is an attack on the peace process and an attack on the opportunity for ordinary, decent people to lead their lives with honour and dignity.'
Mr Robert Turner, a local Ulster Unionist Party councillor, said he was shocked and sickened by the killings.
The Tory Party spokesman on Northern Ireland, Mr Andrew Mackay, said he deplored the killings. 'I think it illustrates that the men of violence are now seriously worried that a settlement might soon be reached, and they are trying to destabilise the peace process.
'It makes it all the more important that the Prime Minister doesn't meet Sinn Fein/IRA, particularly so quickly after they have been suspended from the talks. And I'm afraid it confirms that I was right to have criticised his meeting with UDP loyalist politicians last week. They should not have been allowed back into the talks after their paramilitary associates had committed several sectarian murders only a few weeks before.'
