"I have heard no negative reports on Irish policy from any church member; either in Nicaragua or elsewhere in Central America." - Father Neil Duggan, Divine Word Missionary

ALTHOUGH the on the recent articles Lorna Siggins that these were about Central America, they were in fact about an internal dispute several years ago in one community, in one province, in one country, in Central America. And although admitting that there are 15 different versions of events, the articles went on to take a completely partisan view of that dispute.

But my main concern is that the articles - under the banner headline "Where the Irish are no longer welcome" - gave the reader the impression that the Irish are not welcome in Central America in general and in El Salvador in particular. This is completely untrue. Indeed, one reason they are welcome is because of the high quality of the volunteers of the Agency for Personal Service Overseas working in the region, and in particular of APSO's field director, Mr Adrian Fitzgerald.

Ms Siggins's report suggests that "members of the Irish Catholics Church feel `sold out' by what they perceive to be Irish aid policy in the region". This blanket statement is also untrue. The only statement from a Catholic missionary in the article comes from a Scottish priest, who later admits to not having met any of the Irish involved.

The number of Irish missionaries working in Central America is quite small. Fewer have read the recent articles. But several Irish missionaries in Central America (including the only Irish missionary priest in Nicaragua) have already contacted us saying that, far from feeling sold out, they are delighted with APSO's work. Father Neil Duggan in Nicaragua has already been quoted; Father Alfred Loughlin, a Franciscan missionary from Limerick who works in El Salvador, says: "I have a good relationship with APSO, and the APSO people I have met have been very fine people." Father Anthony Ryan, who works in Belize, says: "I am very happy with all assistance received . . . from APSO . . . We are also very grateful for Irish aid."

Ms Siggins's report suggests that APSO in El Salvador may be politically partisan. This is completely untrue. We have received statements of support for our work from the Human Rights Ombudsman of El Salvador, an institution established under the UN Peace Accords of 1992, from the National University of El Salvador, and from numerous local NGOs and Salvadorean community organisations. Copies of these have been made available to The Irish Times.

APSO supports 46 volunteers in Central America. Those who have contacted us are all highly offended at the suggestions of political partisanship by them or by APSO. Copies of their statements have also been made available to The Irish Times. Absolutely none of those working in the province of Morazan (some of whom work closely with people from Segundo Montes) was consulted by Ms Siggins. Indeed, there is evidence that even those volunteers whom Ms Siggins did meet feel her articles misrepresent the situation.

Col Michael O'Shea, a retired senior Army officer who works as an adviser to the Human Rights Ombudsman, supported by APSO, says: "The articles give a gross misrepresentation, a disservice and offence to many of the Irish aid co operants and APSO, working so diligently and so unselfishly both with and on behalf of the disadvantaged. The fact that the reporter came to El Salvador for six days and never investigated any of the projects with which any of the Irish aid volunteers are currently working must leave serious questions.

Mr Philip Borkholder, a US Mennonite missionary who worked for five years with the Segundo Montes community, feels the articles do not represent the complexities of the situation. He says: "The remarks attributed to me were selectively chosen and out of context."

CIIR/ICD, a Catholic development agency based in London, with which APSO co funded Adrian Fitzgerald and some others in Segundo Montes some years ago (during the period referred to in Ms Siggins's articles), although mentioned in Ms Siggins's article, was apparently not consulted by her. It says: "The situation was one of extreme complexity. We believe that the ICD Irish development workers made the best and most honest decision they could during the conflictual situations which arose within the Segundo Montes community in 1993."

They add: "It would be a great disservice to development in these countries if the articles in The Irish Times on a specific case were allowed to distort the excellent contributions that APSO makes to development generally."

Ms Siggins also mentions that "through APSO ... the Irish Government is now accused of supporting a right wing regime". This is untrue. APSO is a State agency and part of an official aid programmed APSO is not involved in politics. The central issue for APSO is that the countries in which it works are recognised by the relevant international organisations (and by the Irish Government) as developing countries. This is the way official aid works.

APSO supports volunteers requested by governments and nongovernmental organisations, in their work for the relief of poverty and support for democracy and human rights in some 60 countries. The government of El Salvador is among the minority of governments in developing countries that is democratically elected.

We have made available to The Irish Times the faxes, letters and statements we have received from Central America. They illustrate how partial Ms Siggins's reports were, and how betrayed - dare I say "sold out" - the Irish volunteers, and the communities with which they work, feel.

It is disappointing that a journalist of Ms Siggins's reputation should have produced such damaging material.