Any of the republican and loyalist prisoners released from the Maze Prison who got involved in terrorist activity would be sent back to prison, the Northern Secretary said yesterday. Speaking on RTE radio, Mr Peter Mandelson said: "The people that have been released today have been released on licence on condition they don't re-engage in any paramilitary violence or terrorist activity," Mr Mandelson said.
"And if they breach the terms of their licence, they will go back to prison. Let there be absolutely no doubt about that."
Mr Mandelson said his desire was to see the prisoners getting back into normal society, leading normal lives and being part of the peace process. Anyone convicted of terrorist activity since the Belfast Agreement would not be entitled to an early release from prison, he said.
Meanwhile, it became clear after a meeting between Mr Mandelson and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, yesterday that outstanding differences between the two governments over the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill - now before the House of Lords - were unlikely to be resolved before the autumn.
The Minister described the two-hour meeting in London as "good", and his exchanges with Mr Mandelson on a range of issues as "constructive and forthright".
However, when he spoke to Irish journalists after the meeting, Mr Cowen did not reply directly when asked if he accepted that Mr Mandelson was implementing the Patten proposals for reform of the RUC "in good faith". And the Minister said nationalist politicians were not yet at the stage where they could recommend acceptance of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland.
In the RTE radio interview, Mr Mandelson insisted the British government had expressed reservations on only two of the 175 Patten proposals, which it was continuing to discuss, and he complained he was being "misrepresented by some people".
When asked about Mr Mandelson's "good faith", Mr Cowen replied: "When the Police Bill was published, the Government expressed some concerns about aspects of it, welcomed its publication, and looked forward to the legislative process providing us with an opportunity to discuss how we could meet those concerns.
"That work is still continuing . . . . we have yet to come to a conclusion on those issues in a way that will get us the outcome that we want, which is participation by the nationalist community."
While acknowledging the "progress" made to date in implementing the Patten proposals, the Minister stressed the need to persuade nationalists this was "a new beginning".
He continued "What I'm saying is that the view of whether and how, and at what time, nationalist public representatives can recommend participation by the nationalist community . . . . in relation to the accountability procedures themselves, or for people to take policing as a career in the future . . . is something that can only be decided upon when we have this process completed.
"We're at a work-in-progress stage and I acknowledge the progress that is being made."
Police reform and the threat posed by dissident republicans will top the agenda at Monday's meeting between the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, at 10 Downing Street.