THE Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, has summoned the British ambassador, Mrs Veronica Sutherland, to Leinster House to protest at the conditions in which Ms Roisin McAliskey is being held as a high risk prisoner in Holloway jail.
In a surprise move, Mr Spring called in the ambassador yesterday and warned that "if badly handled", this case had the potential to do damage to the shared objectives of both governments.
The extradition of Ms McAliskey (25), who is seven months pregnant, is being sought by the German authorities in connection with a mortar attack on an army base in Osnabruck last June.
Meanwhile, the German ambassador to Britain yesterday blamed the British authorities for refusing to grant Ms McAliskey bail and insisted that Britain was also in charge of the extradition proceedings against her.
At a meeting in London with two British Labour MPs - the former Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Kevin McNamara and Mr Jeremy Corbyn - the German ambassador, Dr Jurgen Oesterhelt, stated that the Crown Prosecution Service, which is representing the German authorities, had misunderstood their position on bail.
Solicitors for the CPS have repeatedly claimed in court that the German authorities opposed bail for Ms McAliskey because they feared she would abscond.
However, the German ambassador told the Labour MPs that he would be writing to Ms McAliskey's solicitor Ms Gareth Peirce to clarify the situation and agreed that representatives of the Federal prosecuting authorities would meet the CPS solicitors to explain, their position on bail.
After his meeting with the British ambassador, Mr Spring said he had called her in to express concern at the circumstances in which Ms McAliskey is being detained. He conveyed his concern "in a straightforward way ... and she was sympathetic and receptive".
He also raised the question as to why Ms McAliskey was being held as a Category A prisoner since she is in advanced stage of pregnancy, and, in his opinion, "is not a threat in terms of escaping". She, should be declassified from the present high risk category, he added, pointing out that the situation was impeding family visits.
Government sources said last night the Tanaiste had also spoken of the widespread humanitarian concerns that surrounded Ms McAliskey and her baby. If she remained in jail for the birth, more could be done by the authorities to "reassure her" about the circumstances in which her child would be born.
These reassurances should also be made public to ensure that the situation would not be exploited by certain groups, he said.