Irish and British diplomats were last night delighted at the proposal last night that the Berlin summit would back a new peace package for Northern Ireland worth £400 million over five years.
The package has been included in the final compromise paper. This followed positive comments by the German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, and the Commission President, Mr Jacques Santer, on Wednesday night.
The package, which has been prepared by the Commission, is set to replace the Northern Ireland Peace and Reconciliation Programme, which runs out at the end of this year. Some £80 million will be allocated to the Border counties in the South.