Mr. John Callinan:

I do not think we should get hung up on words. We are all looking for the same thing and want to avoid a hard border. Whether it is with special designated status or by arriving at flexible and imaginative solutions, it amounts to the same thing. If the specific proposal is for Northern Ireland to effectively remain in the Eurpean Union or the Single Market, it is much more complicated because it is not in Dublin's gift to demand this. It relates to the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and the relationship between Dublin, Belfast and London, before one even starts to talk about the role of the European Union.