Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern told Ian Paisley at Hillsborough yesterday that he would not "take lectures on sectarianism" from him after the DUP leader said the South was a sectarian state, talks sources have disclosed.
The comments were made at the multiparty talks at Hillsborough where Mr Ahern informed Dr Paisley that his complaints about President Mary McAleese on Saturday were "unacceptable, unwarranted and untrue".
Dr Paisley had stated at the DUP annual conference that he did not like President McAleese, that she was dishonest, and that she hated Northern Ireland.
Mr Ahern confirmed yesterday evening that the exchanges on the issue between him and Dr Paisley were "robust". He explained that he raised the matter with Dr Paisley after talks yesterday morning with the DUP chaired by the Minister and Northern Secretary Peter Hain.
Mr Ahern said he complained to Dr Paisley in case any silence on his behalf would be misinterpreted. "I said to him that I, on behalf of the Irish Government, but also on behalf of the Irish people, categorically found his remarks unacceptable, unwarranted and untrue."
A senior talks source elaborated that Dr Paisley told Mr Ahern he was standing over his comments. He said that Mr Paisley junior interjected to protest that when President McAleese last year made her controversial remarks about Nazism and unionism, Government ministers had not apologised.
After it was put to him that President McAleese had apologised for her comments, Dr Paisley then said the South was a "sectarian state", further complaining of attacks on Protestant churches, the source explained.
Mr Ahern quickly responded, saying he would not "take lectures on sectarianism" from Dr Paisley, the source added.
Dr Paisley at a press conference yesterday defended his conference remarks. "The Foreign Secretary raised the matter of my remarks about the President of the Irish Republic.
"He was told in no uncertain language that when she made remarks about Northern Ireland and called us unionists Nazis that they were strangely silent," he said.
The Northern Secretary said the British government held President McAleese in "very high regard" and that Queen Elizabeth felt similarly about her.
