Sir, Is Bertie Ahern serious about the pledges he has made in the Good Friday Belfast Agreement? That may seem a ridiculous question given the amount of personal effort and political capital he has invested in the Northern peace process. But there is at least one aspect of the Agreement document which could produce a sneer among the cynical - the promises by Dublin on human rights.
Commendably, a Southern-based Human Rights Commission is to be established and the Irish Government also says it will "continue to take further active steps to demonstrate its respect for the different traditions in the island of Ireland".
But does it mean it? Remember the Downing Street Declaration of 1993, a foundation stone of the peace process? It contained a pledge by Dublin to examine and remove any aspect of the Republic's affairs "that can be represented as not being fully consistent with a modern and pluralist society".
The record on this commitment is far from inspiring or reassuring. Only one initiative followed - the creation within the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation of a Committee on "Obstacles to Peace and Reconciliation in the South".
This Committee was very active but its conclusions have not even been published, let alone acted upon. Its final report was never released and is still gathering dust somewhere. Some six months ago, Bertie Ahern was written to and asked about the Committee report. He has yet to reply. Is that a measure of the importance with which his Government views pluralism? Is that an indication of its attitude to the Downing Street Declaration?
It is not unreasonable to ask if it is any more serious about the Good Friday Agreement. - Yours etc., Tom Hagen
Hillsborough, Co Down.