Sir, – That Minister for Finance Michael Noonan did not involve the Office of the Deputy First Minister in the negotiations relating to Nama's loans portfolio in the North is disturbing to say the least ("Noonan role in North's Nama portfolio 'raises questions'", September 24th). When we are confronted yet again with a political impasse in Northern Ireland and where all parties are urged by our Government to return to the negotiating table and work through their differences, we now discover that Mr Noonan did not involve Martin McGuinness, a democratically elected politician, in key discussions relating to the largest ever sale of property loans, "Project Eagle", in the latter's jurisdiction.
The letter that the Deputy First Minister wrote to Mr Noonan in July of this year expressing his concerns about “the lack of respect” he has shown in “respect of the “joint nature of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister” in the North should not be viewed in isolation, and particularly given that the Stormont Assembly is now, yet again, in crisis.
One has to ask why Mr McGuinness was excluded from key meetings relating to the £1.2 billion transaction.
There is more than a “whiff of sulphur” surrounding these events, and we are not referring to Sinn Féin this time. – Yours, etc,
TOM McELLIGOTT,
Listowel, CoKerry.