The Irish Government is deeply concerned at the nature and implication of the official communiqué issued yesterday evening following upon the discussions which took place in London between members of the British Government and members of the Northern Ireland Government.

The Irish government trusts that nothing will be done, by legislation or otherwise, which could, in any way, be construed as prolonging or strengthening the undemocratic anomaly whereby our country has been partitioned against the will of the overwhelming majority of the Irish people. The existing situation is rendered even more indefensible by reason of the fact that in an area approximating four of the six north-eastern counties, the majority of the people desire to be united with the rest of Ireland.

The Irish Government further trusts that the British Government will take no step which might be regarded as encouraging or sanctioning further denials of elementary democratic rights in the six north-eastern counties of Ireland. The British Government is no doubt already fully aware of the devices that have been used to deprive a large part of the population of elementary democratic rights in this area.