The discovery of surveillance equipment, allegedly belonging to the British army, on farmland in south Armagh does not give nationalists confidence in the peace process, according to a Sinn Fein councillor, Mr Pat McNamee.
The concealed camera and microphone with transmitting devices were put on show for the media just south of the Border in Co Louth last night.
They were found by Mr John Leneghan on his land on Monday night. "Cattle stumbled upon it when they tripped on a piece of wire. The wire ran up the lane and the camera was pointing so it practically looked into the room of a bungalow belonging to a relative," he said.
The camera was wrapped in layers of grass, moss and mud held together by wire mesh, with an opening at one end. Wire led to a generator and transmitters, which had been buried.
Mr Leneghan says the device was in a hedgerow, but the angle of the road would have allowed it to view the house and a junction on a cross-Border road.
Members of the South Armagh Farmers and Residents Association (SAFRA) have been campaigning for the demilitarisation of the area and say this adds to their concerns.
"I condemn it unreservedly. We met the Taoiseach last month and he undertook to bring our campaign to the top of the agenda in the peace talks. He has since raised it directly with Tony Blair," said Mr Declan Fearon, the SAFRA chairman.
"Areas like this, which have borne the brunt of this type of activity for many years, should be the first on the list for demilitarisation. People here need to see the benefits of the peace process. It should be the first, not the last, to see normalisation of living conditions," he added.
Cllr McNamee and Cllr Conor Murphy (SF) are both standing in the Assembly elections. Cllr Murphy said there were possibly hundreds more such surveillance units.