The first clear evidence of tensions between the recently elected British and Irish governments has emerged from a growing dispute about the role of the proposed Parades Commission in the North. With Dr Mo Mowlam, the Northern Ireland Secretary, planning to publish a Bill on Friday, London and Dublin are locked in disagreement over British plans to extend the remit of the Parades Commission beyond disputed parades to include "other expressions of cultural identity".
The amended British proposals - which Dublin fears could result in a dilution of Dr Mowlam's commitment to implement fully the recommendations of the North Report on mechanisms for dealing with disputed parades - are the result of pressure from Mr David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader. And it became clear last night that they have been strongly opposed by the Irish government in discussions with the British at all levels over the past few weeks.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is understood to have raised the issue with Mr Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, during their meeting in Strasbourg last Friday. It was discussed earlier last week at a lengthy meeting of the AngloIrish Secretariat in Belfast. And Dublin has now asked to see the draft Bill, which Dr Mowlam plans to publish in Belfast on Friday.
The anxiety in Dublin is that the unionists - under guise of socalled "confidence-building measures" - will seek to embroil the commission in ongoing disputes over the alleged "aggressive stewarding" of GAA matches, and the flying of the Tricolour.
When the previous Northern secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, kicked the issue for touch ahead of the British general election, Dr Mowlam said Labour would implement the North Report in full. Fearing a dilution of that commitment now, Dublin has argued that North was about the vexed question of disputed parades - and that there should be no attempt to equate that issue with other activities which have given rise to no significant problems. As one source put it last night: "This has been politically driven. There has been no demonstration of the objective necessity for this at all."
The strength of Dublin feeling on this issue was confirmed as Irish sources insisted that Mr Blair's solo visit to the Stormont talks venue yesterday betokened no snub to the Taoiseach.
In the absence of a joint visit with Mr Ahern, the clear expectation in Irish circles had been that the British Prime Minister would meet local party leaders at Stormont Castle rather than at Castle Buildings, the all-party talks venue. Sources last night maintained that the Taoiseach had not pressed for a joint visit at this stage, and understood the sensitivities surrounding yesterday's first meeting between Mr Blair and the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams.
But with diplomatic eyebrows at least raised, it was being made clear that a joint visit to the North by Mr Ahern and Mr Blair later in the year would assume added importance in underlining the joint Anglo-Irish sponsorship of the talks process.