The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, is demanding that the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, explain immediately who permitted the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ray Burke, to sign an NIO-headed communication.
The letter, to the North's party leaders detailing the membership of the decommissioning body, is jointly signed by the Stormont Minister for Political Development, Mr Paul Murphy, and Mr Burke. The two governments are proposing three members for the new body. They are Brig Tauno Nieminen of Finland, who has extensive UN experience; Mr Donald Johnson, a serving US diplomat; and Lieut Gen Jack Dangerfield of Canada, who has considerable NATO experience.