The wisdom of the recent visit by the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, to loyalist prisoners in the Maze has been questioned by the chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr Des O'Malley.
Speaking at a meeting of the committee yesterday, he told members he was concerned in recent weeks at the concentration on the views and attitudes of those parties closest to the people who had engaged in prolonged violence.
"Even very senior government and elected representatives have engaged in consultations in a prison with a variety of people convicted of serious, violent, terrorist offences. The danger in this activity lies in the perception that may be fostered that political power and significance arise not democratically from the ballot box, but from the barrel of a gun," he said.
Fine Gael's former minister of state for foreign affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, said he shared Mr O'Malley's concern that "we are not seen to give in to the bullet", but added that the Secretary of State's visit "took courage".
Given that Billy Wright was murdered in prison, Dr Mowlam had shown "good judgment" in meeting the prisoners.
The Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said the issue of changes to Articles 2 and 3 must be addressed by the Dail. The people of the Republic had to be "encouraged to make concessions" and these matters struck at the root of people's perception of the nation and nationality.
Mr De Rossa, who has advocated amending Articles 2 and 3, said his party was the only one in the Republic which did not have the "question of a 32-county Republic" in its constitution.
Senator Paschal Mooney, of Fianna Fail, intervened to say: "That is why you have 1 per cent of the vote . . . you have been trotting out that rubbish for years".
Mr De Rossa insisted that the claim to Northern Ireland must be addressed and we must reach a point in this State of maintaining "that there is unfinished business". Problems arose when one state tried to impose its sense of identity on another, he added.
Warning that it would be "extraordinarily difficult" to bring about changes in Articles 2 and 3, Mr Austin Deasy, of Fine Gael, said it was very important that the "ultra-extremists" - North and South - should be monitored closely by the security forces.
Senator Avril Doyle said it would be no more difficult to take a mature look at these articles than it would be to deal with the Government of Ireland Act.