Vol. 571 No. 2
197 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of the British-Irish intergovernmental conference in Iveagh House on 18 September 2003. [21078/03]
Together with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Paul Murphy MP, I co-chaired the meeting of the British-Irish intergovernmental conference in Iveagh House on 18 September 2003. I was accompanied at the meeting by the Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Michael McDowell, while the Secretary of State was accompanied by NIO Ministers Jane Kennedy and John Spellar.
This was the sixth meeting of the conference since December 1999 when it first met at plenary level in London when the conference was co-chaired by the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Blair. The conference has taken on an added importance since the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland were suspended in October 2002. Its five meetings over the last year have provided valuable opportunities for both Governments to review the overall process of implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
At its most recent meeting on 18 September, the conference reviewed political developments, the prospects for holding elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and the context for the successful restoration of the devolved institutions. The conference agreed on the need to ensure an end to all paramilitary activity and on the need for confidence in the commitment of all parties to the full implementation of the Agreement.
The conference also reviewed the current security situation. It deplored the recent campaign of intimidation directed against members of the district policing partnerships. It also discussed paramilitary activities, the situation in Maghaberry prison following the Steele review and the efforts to locate the graves of the remaining "disappeared." I availed of the opportunity of the conference to restate the Government's concerns concerning the handling of the cases of British soldiers Fisher and Wright. The conference also discussed criminal justice matters, recent developments in the area of human rights and the forthcoming submission of the Cory reports into allegations of collusion. Finally, the conference reviewed the continuing implementation of the joint declaration of the 1 May and agreed to discuss this matter in greater detail at its next meeting, which is scheduled to take place in November 2003. I have arranged for the conference communiqué to be forwarded to the Dáil Library.
