The return of the "Colombia Three" has done nothing to develop the trust and confidence needed to move the North's peace process forward, Minister of State Conor Lenihan said today.
Speaking at the Parnell Summer School in Co Wicklow, he said the three men's recent reappearance in Ireland had been unhelpful to efforts to restore devolution.
He also insisted the Government did not have any advance knowledge of the return nor did the issue arise in any discussions with Sinn Féin.
He said the Government would meet its international legal obligations and had briefed the British, US and Colombian authorities accordingly. "The Garda Síochána and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will examine any question of a breach of Irish law."
Mr Lenihan said the IRA statement of July 28th, taken together with actions verified by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning and the Independent Monitoring Commission in the near term, could form a momentous and historic advance.
But he said loyalist paramilitarism represented a major challenge that is not yet being met in the peace process. "This challenge of transforming loyalism is more important than ever," Mr Lenihan said,
He also identified policing as a major outstanding issue that required to be addressed.
"It is time for the Provisional movement to follow the courageous lead of the SDLP, who, through their endorsement and participation in policing, have made a fundamental contribution to the peace process," he said.