There were wide differences of interpretation last night between Irish and Colombian government sources over Dublin's response to a request from the authorities in Bogota for the extradition of the so-called "Colombia Three".
A Department of Justice spokeswoman insisted that the matter was not closed but Colombian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, were interpreting the Irish response in effect as a firm rejection of the extradition application.
The Department of Justice spokeswoman said in Dublin: "We generally don't comment on individual cases. In relation to these cases there is ongoing contact with the Colombian authorities and no final decision has been taken as yet on the matter."
The original Colombian application was made last September following the surprise announcement the previous month that the three men had returned to Ireland.
The Irish Times has learned that, in a letter sent shortly before Christmas, the Government told the authorities in Bogota that documentation submitted up to now did not form a sufficient legal basis for the extradition of James Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly from Ireland to serve their 17-year sentences for training left-wing Farc rebels in bomb-making techniques.
It is understood that the Irish letter held out the prospect of a bilateral extradition agreement between the two countries which would have a retrospective effect and could provide for the three men to be sent back to Colombia at a future date.
Informed sources said the letter pointed out that there was no such agreement in place at the moment and that there were no other grounds set out in the Colombian application that could provide the basis for a successful extradition procedure at present.
The response was formulated by the Department of Justice but sent by the Department of Foreign Affairs as a "conduit" through diplomatic channels.
Colombian sources said the letter was saying, in effect, "No way, Josè" and that it "looked pretty much like a closed door".
The original application from the Colombians was said to be "two-and-a-half inches thick" and very comprehensive. "We threw everything at them that we could possibly imagine." It was submitted in English although there were complaints in Dublin about the quality of the drafting.
Government sources in Dublin said however that, "You never say definitively, 'No'." The response to the Colombians was paraphrased as follows: "With the best will in the world you are not going to get this through the system here but you can come back at it again." A successful application at some future date was "not ruled out".
Last night Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny called on the Government to clarify the status of the extradition request in respect of the three men.