Beleaguered Northern Ireland Human Rights chief Brice Dickson has rejected internal demands for his resignation.
He hit back at critics who called on him to stand down in a developing row over his handling of the Holy Cross School blockade when Catholic children were abused by loyalist protesters.
Two of his closest colleagues on the nine-member group set up under the Belfast Agreement claimed they had lost all confidence in Mr Dickson.
Commissioners Patricia Kelly and Frank McGuinness insisted he had to gobecause he appeared to undermine a decision by the body to back a legal actionbrought by one of the Holy Cross families.
As the festering row reignited, Mr Dickson was attending a United Nationsworkshop in Copenhagen.
But a spokeswoman said tonight: "He is clear there is strong support fromother members of the commission.
"At the minute he has indicated he will not be resigning."Mr Dickson has been under pressure since a British Parliamentary report provoked awave of criticism.
The Joint Commons and Lords Committee on Human Rights report said his handlingof the Holy Cross case raised questions about the Commission's independence.
Even though the Commission agreed to fund a judicial review into how loyalistprotests at the Holy Cross school in north Belfast in September 2001 werepoliced, Mr Dickson privately held serious reservations.
In correspondence with former chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, he backedhis view police had not breached any human rights.
Outraged solicitors for an unnamed Holy Cross parent who took the legal actionclaimed this was a breach of trust.
Mr Dickson later admitted he blundered and, last month, the commissionpublished an action plan pledging to remain totally independent of government.
But amid claims Mr Dickson enlisted the help of senior Northern IrelandOfficials to draft the document, his two dismayed colleagues spoke out.
Ms Kelly and McGuinness have withdrawn from the day-to-day running of thecommission, but have not followed the lead of three others who have resignedfrom the body.
Yet their opposition to the strategy is clear."The paragraphs in the Action Plan that deal with the Holy Cross case displaya total lack of understanding of the fundamental problem," Ms Kelly told theIrish News.
"It fails to reassure me that commissioners involved appreciate what they didwas inappropriate and fails to reassure me the same thing couldn't happenagain."
Mr McGuinness was equally scathing. "The plan fails to address the issue ofpublic confidence," he said.
"In so doing it amounts to a plan for survival rather than the restoration ofintegrity."
He added: "We no longer have confidence in the chief commissioner and on thatbasis we call for his resignation."
PA