The first serious dispute between the British and Irish governments since the Belfast Agreement was signed has arisen over the composition of the commission for the reform of policing in Northern Ireland.
The commission, to be chaired by the former Hong Kong governor, Mr Chris Patten, was accepted as part of the agreement. Now a disagreement over the composition of the body has led to the formal announcement of its membership being postponed yesterday.
The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, was expected to announce the people chosen to serve under Mr Patten at the annual conference of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland at Newcastle, Co Down, yesterday. Instead, she mentioned the names of four people as examples of those who might be involved.
It had become apparent from media leaks over the weekend that not a single name submitted by Dublin was accepted by the British. Sources said "eight or nine" names were submitted through the Anglo-Irish Secretariat at Maryfield "quite a while ago".
However, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, made it "abundantly clear" to the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, in Dublin on Monday that this method of choosing the commission was setting a bad precedent. In an unorthodox move, Dr Mowlam told the Police Federation yesterday she hoped to announce the membership of the commission today but in the meantime she wished to give the conference a "flavour of the kind of people that we would like to see on it".
She listed the former deputy commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Sir John Smith; the secretary of public safety in the state government of Massachusetts, Ms Kathleen O'Toole; Prof Clifford Sheering, a criminologist from the University of Toronto; and Dr Maurice Hayes, a member of the Seanad and former Northern Ireland ombudsman, whom she described as being "under consideration".
Over the last few days other possible nominees have been mentioned: the chief executive of British Telecom in Northern Ireland, Ms Lucy Woods; the president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, Mr Gerald Lynch; and an unnamed senior police officer from South Africa.
Denying any rift between Dublin and London, a Government source said it was clear on Friday that no announcement would be made yesterday on the commission. There were "still holes" in the make-up of the proposed body.
It is also understood there were difficulties over the choice of venue for the announcement as well as the timing. It appears Dublin took the view that making such a delicate statement at a conference of RUC officers would not encourage nationalist confidence. It also felt the announcement was being rushed.
Initially, Dublin was said to be "up the walls" on the issue but now believed the "situation has improved".
"The British were presenting people with a fait accompli," senior political sources said last night. "They went ahead and didn't listen to anyone."
The Government had impressed on the British government the need for more time to reflect on the composition of the body, saying it must be conspicuously independent and balanced and have an international dimension. It was seeking the inclusion of individuals who would reflect the concerns of nationalists on policing.