Former US senator, Mr George Mitchell has accused the Irish and British governments of repeatedly leaking information in order to manipulate public opinion during the Northern Ireland peace talks, according to yesterday's Sunday Telegraph.
The paper said Mr Mitchell made the comments in an interview with London Weekend Television's current affairs programme America 2000, which is due to be shown on Sunday.
An LWT spokesman confirmed the quotes in the Sunday Telegraph were accurate, but criticised the article for being "highly speculative".
In the interview, Mr Mitchell expresses his alarm and anger at the frequency of leaks from British and Irish government offices.
"I was surprised when I went there at the extent to which both governments and all the political parties actively leaked to the press in an effort to influence news coverage and therefore public opinion."
In his criticisms, he singles out the Northern Ireland Office, where he says leaks aimed at sabotaging British government policy emanated. "What was unique about many of the leaks from the Northern Ireland Office is that they were designed to undermine the policy of the British government of which they were a part."
Downing Street declined to comment on Mr Mitchell's remarks.