The deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Mr Peter Robinson, has started legal proceedings against an Irish Sunday newspaper, ireland.comhas learned.
Mr John McBurney, a senior partner with McBurney and Company, Belfast, said letters of claim were sent to the Sunday Business Postthis afternoon alleging defamation of Mr Robinson in an article published last weekend.
Mr McBurney said his client was seeking a retraction, an apology and substantial damages. "The article paints Mr Robinson as a liar and a hypocrite in his dealings with the electorate [in Northern Ireland]", said Mr McBurney.
He said if "appropriate" redress was not forthcoming in this weekend's issue of the paper it was proposed to issue a writ and proceed to the Northern Ireland High Court.
Mr Robinson is alleging defamation in the allegation by the newspaper last weekend that he has held private meetings with members of the Irish Government. A spokesman for Mr Robinson said the defamation alleged was not whether anyone had met the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. He said the issue was that someone who publicly claimed they had not met Government officials, was reported to have done so.
The newspaper spoke to Mr Robinson prior to the publication of the article and printed his denial that any such contacts had taken place.
According to Mr McBurney, the seriousness of the libel is that, despite this denial from Mr Robinson, the newspaper made a "deliberate assertion of facts that are false".
When contacted by ireland.com,a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Government was not in negotiations with the DUP. He added there may have been occasions when individual Irish Government ministers may have met DUP officials at social functions.
Last night, in the House of Commons, the SDLP's Mr Seamus Mallon used his parliamentary privilege to suggest that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr Paul Murphy knew that the DUP had been in political discussions with the Government for some time.
He asked Mr Murphy what information the Government had given to the Secretary of State that indicated clearly that, in effect, the DUP wanted to work the agreement rather than smash it.
Mr Murphy replied that his meetings over the past couple of days indicate that all parties will be in a position to talk to him about the issues that affect the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Murphy added that he understood from the Democratic Unionist party that, where appropriate, it would not be averse to talking to the Government.
