The Government is "absolutely" convinced that the alleged IRA money laundering operation uncovered by the Garda last month is connected with the robbery of the Northern Bank in Belfast before Christmas.
Speaking in Dublin after a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said: "The gardaí were not pursuing any other line of inquiry."
He said it was the Government's view - based on its information from the gardaí - that the money recovered was linked to December 20th heist.
Mr Ahern said the Government was still waiting to hear from the republican movement concerning the issues of paramilitary and criminal activity.
He was accompanied by the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell at the meeting this morning.
They met Northern Secretary Paul Murphy, minister of state at the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) John Spellar, and Ian Pearson, parliamentary under secretary of state at the NIO.
In a joint communique issued after the meeting the governments said both administrations "are united in their admiration of the dignity and courage of the McCartney family in the face of intimidation and obstruction."
Mr McCartney was stabbed to death following a row in a pub in Belfast on January 30th. Three members of the IRA were expelled over the killing.
Both Mr Ahern and Mr Murphy said they condemned the alleged intimidation of witnesses to the murder but refused to speculate whether they thought the IRA was orchestrating the intimidation.
When asked if he welcomed Sinn Féin calls for people with information to go to their solicitors, Mr Murphy said: "I welcome any means by which evidence can get to the police".
Mr Ahern said: "The litmus test would be whether people get up in court and give evidence.
"It comes down to whether the PSNI have enough evidence to ground a case and prosecute for this incident," he said.
Mr Murphy said that he could not remember a time when republicans were under so much pressure politically. "The Northern Bank robbery, the murder of Robert McCartney and other issues have brought this to a head," he said. "No one wanted this to happen. It would have been much better if we had been talking about the restoration of the Executive in Northern Ireland."
