The Minister for Foreign Affairs has expressed regret about comments he made on cross-Border bodies with executive powers "not unlike a government" being set up. Speaking after political talks at Stormont Castle in Belfast yesterday, Mr Andrews admitted his remarks during a weekend interview on BBC Radio Ulster were misjudged.
"If I could unsay that radio interview, I would - I would not use the word `government'," he said. But he refused to apologise: "I'm not in the business of apologising. I'm representing a sovereign government."
Unionist politicians condemned the remarks, saying they endangered the entire peace process. But Mr Andrews insisted the contentious phrase "not unlike a government" had been misinterpreted and taken out of context. Unionists had no reason to feel alarmed, he said.
"I never did, nor never would, propose a `third source of power' as has been suggested. I have made it clear in a number of interviews that any North-South body would be subordinate to the two legislatures and would be fully accountable to both. Furthermore, it would operate by unanimity.
"All these matters are for discussion, negotiation and agreement here as I have consistently made clear. All things are on the table. Everything must be by agreement and consensus. We have a lot of urgent work to do. I believe we are all determined to go into the Christmas break with a sense that real and early progress can be made in the New Year."
Mr Andrews was speaking after meeting the British government, and having a discussion with the UUP, the Progressive Unionist and Ulster Democratic parties. He said he had attempted to reassure them about his position.
A Government source said unionists had unfairly extracted one phrase from a lengthy interview, "inflated it, and put it up in lights". The talks participants should not be "measuring each other on the basis of soundbites". Mr Andrews had made it clear in his meeting with unionists that he had not been pointing towards "an embryonic all-Ireland government", he added.
Before yesterday's talks at Stormont, unionists expressed deep anger at Mr Andrews's comments and there were calls for his resignation from both the UUP and Alliance.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, said it was the second time in recent weeks that Mr Andrews had caused "serious problems for the talks process". He added that if he was Taoiseach, he would replace Mr Andrews.
He accused the Minister of presenting Sinn Fein's demands. "At this particular time, to come out with a republican wish-list is not the action of a serious politician," he said.
Mr David Ervine of the PUP took an equally hard line before yesterday's talks. He said the Minister's comments had been "very debilitating" for the peace process. "The timing was awful. Either Mr Andrews is incapable of the job or he is mischievous," he stated. Mr Ervine complained that the PUP had been seeking a bilateral meeting with the Government for three weeks.
The UDP leader, Mr Gary McMichael, accused Mr Andrews of being "deliberately provocative" and said the peace process was moving "backwards, not forwards". No progress has been made so far, he added.
The DUP criticised the UUP for remaining in the talks despite the Minister's remarks. A spokesman, Mr Sammy Wilson, said: "Obviously Dublin feels in a position to flex its muscles because of the neutrality of the British government and the weakness of the UUP."
The DUP secretary, Mr Nigel Dodds, said Mr Trimble had obviously been "badly wrong" when he said there was new thinking in Government circles.
The Alliance chief whip, Mr Sean Neeson, said the Minister's remarks were a "classic case of foot in mouth" and had caused "enormous damage to this whole process". Alliance urged the Minister to reconsider his position.
However, while Mr Andrews was severely criticised by Alliance and the unionists, he received support from Sinn Fein and the SDLP. Mr John Hume described the Minister's comments as "fairly common-sense". He criticised the unionists for their behaviour and said that if other parties reacted similarly when a politician with a different outlook adopted a stance with which they disagreed, there would be rows at Stormont every day.
Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams dismissed unionist complaints as "wired up". He said: "Unionists can't be over-reacting every time there is a remark from someone who doesn't have a unionist agenda." Mr Andrews had been merely articulating the agreed position of the two governments, he said, and he accused the UUP of mock surprise: "For David Trimble to feign surprise is in keeping with his assertion that the Union is not up for discussion and he knows that the Union is up for discussion."
Mr Adams was also critical of Alliance's demand for Mr Andrews's resignation. He described it as "the latest endorsement of their unionist credentials" which followed Lord Alderdice's call for Mrs Mary McAleese to withdraw from the presidential election.
The Stormont talks yesterday were taken up with the controversy surrounding the Minister's comments. A planned meeting between the parties and the talks chairman, Senator George Mitchell, did not take place. But sources said progress was made in informal discussions instead.
A full plenary session reviewing the talks, involving both governments and all the parties, will begin at Stormont this afternoon.