Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 163: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his participation in the recent discussions at 10 Downing Street, confirming decisions made to progress the peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3800/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On 1 February, I travelled to London and, together with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, met with Prime Minister Blair and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy. The Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, and the Chief Constable of the PSNI, Hugh Orde, also participated in part of the discussions and provided the Governments with a security briefing on recent events.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to consider possible options for political progress and, in this context, we discussed various proposals received from the political parties. Both Governments are in agreement that any political way forward must be consistent with the fundamental principles of the Good Friday Agreement and capable of attracting broad cross-community support. Following the meeting, the Taoiseach highlighted the key concern of the two Governments, when he said, "the reality of the situation is that until we get an end to criminality, and an end to decommissioning, then we cannot win the trust and confidence of the parties to be able to move forward". Progress in the near term is not possible without absolute clarity and certainty on these issues, which are at the heart of the present impasse.

After the meeting, the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Blair restated their firm commitment to advancing the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, as endorsed by the people of this island. Both Governments are determined that current difficulties should not be allowed to jeopardise the significant progress made in recent years, particularly in the vital areas of policing and North/South co-operation. The Secretary of State and I will co-chair a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin in the coming weeks with a view to giving renewed momentum to the process of implementation.