18.06.1998
Extracts from a letter from the Irish Ambassador in London to Dermot Gallagher, a senior official in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland June 1998, National Archive of Ireland: TAOIS/2021/100/12 1998-06-17
Transcript
AMBASAID NA hEIREANN. LONDAIN
IRISH EMBASSY, LONDON
17 Grosvenor Place
SW1X 7HR
18 June 1998
Mr. Dermot Gallagher
Second Secretary
Anglo-Irish Division
Department of Foreign Affairs
Dublin 2
Dear Secretary,
Conversations with Mo Mowlam and Tony Blair
Mo Mowlam telephoned me late last night. She said she was concerned at what she saw
as emerging difficulties between the British and Irish sides; her feeling was that things were
“different” in recent weeks and that there was not the same level of trust between us as before.
As an instance of this she wondered whether that British Ministers were having some difficulties
in arranging meetings with the Irish side. Although she herself would be seeing Minister Andrews
on 7 July, they wondered whether their inability to arrange a meeting with Paul Murphy today
was deliberate on our part. She thought that it would be of the utmost importance to stay close
in the period ahead.
I said that it was true that confidence had been dented by the handling of the Police Commission
and the failure to consult adequately on the prisoners legislation. But she should not exaggerate.
The Taoiseach had written to the Prime Minister outlining our views, and it was important that we
explain frankly our concerns. This itself was a sign of the maturity in the relationship. (Mowlam
incidentally could not recall the letter, but she put this down to the fact that she sees too many
papers). I emphasised that the key thing for the future was that we be consulted properly on
initiatives which lay at the heart of the process. The Irish Government could not be seen to be
wrong footed on matters of such importance. As for meetings between Ministers I said that there
were no problems on our side and Ministers were available as in the past, especially if urgent
matters needed discussion.
Mowlam said she was reassured by what I said and put her concern down to tiredness and
congenital paranoia.
The discussion then touched on some issues of current concern.
Comment
l think our concerns about consultation have registered. When I met Blair in Downing Street
on Saturday the first thing he said was that he knew that we were “sore’’ over the Police
Commission and the prisoners legislation. He tried to justify their proceeding on both issues by
pointing to the need to support Trimble and maximise the pro-Agreement vote within the UUP
– ”without that everything will fail.” I said that our main point was not that they had gone ahead
but that they had failed to consult adequately and that problems could be avoided if both sides
discussed issues at an early stage. He acknowledged the point.
Yours sincerely,
Ted Barrington Ambassador