Cowen defends decision not to expel SF
24/02/2004 - 19:31:49The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, has defended the decision not to expel Sinn Féin from political talks in the North.
The calls for Sinn Féin expulsion came after a police assessment that the IRA was involved in last Friday's attempted abduction of a dissident republican in Belfast.
Brian Cowen has said only inclusive dialogue could resolve outstanding problems.
Speaking in Belfast, the Minister also said the British and Irish governments' decision to refer paramilitary activity to the Independent Monitoring Commission was the correct one.
